A Heart's Abduction
by Lemonlush
Summary: **NOMINATED: BEST AU/AR by Feudal Connection 2020 1st & 2nd & 3rd Q!** She was a normal girl. She had a normal life. Some might have even called it boring. That was until she was hit over the head and woke up dazed and confused on an alien spaceship. Now she's the key to helping the Inu Youkai win an intergalactic war…whether she's dead or alive. Inu/Kag. Space Sci-fi
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

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Summary:

She was a normal girl. She had a normal life. Some might have even called it boring. That was until she was hit over the head and woke up dazed and confused on an alien spaceship. Now she's been told she's the key to helping the Inu Youkai win an intergalactic war…whether she's dead or alive.

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Chapter 1

Her head was killing her...straight up _throbbing_.

Kagome rolled over and snuggled her face into her pillow, reaching down to pull the blankets up around her shoulders with a throaty groan.

Ugh...she needed a cold compress and some Advil. It felt like her head had gotten run over by a truck. What the hell had happened to her?

She scrunched up her brow and mentally went back through the last things she remembered.

She was taking out the trash before going to bed. Then her cat had escaped and bolted for the woods behind her house, so naturally, she ran after him. It was cold out, and she remembered regretting not grabbing a jacket to wear over her pajamas - the jerk was fast and had gotten pretty damn far. It was dark out and she remembered taking her phone out to use as a flashlight, but she still couldn't find him.

Then, she had heard some rustling in the bushes.

She bolted upright, her eyes snapping open as she smacked her head into the forehead of the man hovering over her and they both cried out in pain. She raised her hands to her head, cradling it as memories flooded her mind. She carefully backed herself up against the pillow at the head of her bed.

Only it wasn't her bed...and she wasn't in her house.

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded, looking up at the silver haired man before her as she continued to press a hand to her forehead in an attempt to ease some of the pain. He had scrambled away from her and held one hand to his head as well, while the other was outstretched like he was trying to calm her down.

Yeah.

Right.

A little fucking too late for that, buddy!

He started to speak to her in a slow, calm voice...but what he was saying didn't make any sense. It was like he was speaking a weird mixture of ten different foreign languages, and she had no goddamn idea what he was saying or what the hell was going on.

He looked as panicked as she did, and she wasn't sure if she should take comfort in that or be even more freaked out by it.

He slid a hand into the pocket of his red pants, and she took a deep breath to try and calm her racing heart as she took in his appearance. The long, waist length silver hair was odd, especially for someone who looked like they were in their mid-twenties or possibly early thirties. She was never good at guessing age...but that wasn't particularly relevant. Not when the guy seemed to have a pair of fucking functioning dog ears wiggling on the top of his head and golden eyes with slits for pupils. His fingers were tipped with claws, and he was dressed in bright red military looking clothes...only vests without shirts underneath didn't feel very military.

Fucking hell...was she still dreaming?

She tried pinching herself, but she was definitely already awake.

Cool.

Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool.

This was great.

He pulled a solid silver, ball-like object out of his pocket and pressed something that made it shoot out a bright blue light.

"What the hell is that?" she demanded, and the device made a beeping noise that reminded her of a computer error.

She looked around the room, trying to take in her surroundings and plan her escape. She was in a very modern looking bedroom with a lot of grey furniture and accents. There was a table with several chairs around it off to the right of the bed she was sitting on, and there was a couch placed along the far side of the room.

100% not at home.

He began speaking to her again and gesturing toward the silver thing he was holding, but she still couldn't understand what he was saying or what the hell he wanted.

He slowly pushed himself up so that he was kneeling on all fours, and then he brought a knee up. He wanted to approach her, and she snatched the pillow she was leaning against and pulled it in front of her to try to put a barrier between them.

He stopped when she did that and froze in place, saying something to her again. His tone was soft, but she could sense some frustration behind his words and in his eyes.

When she didn't move or say anything in response to his mumbo jumbo, he placed his knee down and slowly edged closer to her. He placed the silver thing on the bed and she glanced down at it, back to him, and then back to the silver object again.

He spoke softly again, his tone patient and caring as she looked back up at him.

He pointed at his mouth, saying something, and then down to the device. She furrowed her brow in confusion - it was clear that he was trying to tell her something about it. He repeated whatever it was that he had just said. It was like he was looking for her to do something, and she just wasn't getting it.

He sighed and ran a hand through his bangs, glancing up at the ceiling before trying again. This time, he picked up the device, held it to his lips, and began speaking into it. When he was finished, he held it back out to her with a hopeful light in his eyes.

It was like he wanted her to take it and speak into it.

But that was crazy, right?

Then again, she had no idea what the fuck was going on. Nothing made sense right now, and she didn't know where the hell she was...so maybe talking into a little silver oval wasn't the craziest thing that had happened to her lately.

She hesitantly reached out a hand and took it from him, holding it up to her lips.

"Ok, is this what you wanted?" she asked, and the ball emitted a green light.

This seemed to excite him, and he said something in an encouraging tone.

"Do you want me to keep talking?" she asked, realizing stupidly after asking that she wasn't going to get a response she could understand.

And she didn't, but he seemed happy that she was talking into the ball.

"My name is Kagome Higurashi. Please don't hurt me. I have no idea who you are or where the hell I am. I just want my head to stop spinning and I want to go home. Please let me go home? I was looking for my cat...I didn't mean to find you, I swear. I don't care what you were doing in the woods. I just want my cat and I just want to go home. I won't tell anyone I saw you, I promise. Just...please...let me go. I have a family. A mom, a brother, a grandfather...and friends. I have a bunch of people who would miss me if I went missing. Please don't hurt me," she pleaded, and the green light started flashing before turning off completely.

He seemed pleased but still nervous, and he finally said something.

"Can you understand me?" the silver ball repeated in his voice, and she dropped it in shock.

"That looks like a yes." it added.

He sighed in relief.

"What...the hell…"

The ball repeated what she said back to him in his language, and he let out a laugh.

"It's a translator. It hasn't needed a new language added to it in decades. How extraordinary…" he grinned, leaning closer to look at her. She pressed herself further against the wall and started trembling.

He immediately stopped and backed away, raising his hands.

"I didn't mean to offend you…" he said softly. "I've never seen your species outside of my system before."

Outside of his system?

"What do you mean 'my species'? What system? What the fuck is going on? I just want to go home..._please_...let me go home…"

His posture slackened, and his face fell.

"I can't do that," he told her firmly, standing and walking to the wall with the couch. He placed his hand on the wall and pressed a button, causing windows she hadn't realized were there to defog. Her breath caught in her throat.

They were surrounded by blackness and millions of twinkling stars...and in the distance, no bigger than a marble, was a small blue and green dot.

Earth.

Fuck.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

Chapter 2

"What the hell is going on?" Kagome demanded, slowly pushing herself off of the bed. She clutched the pillow to her chest as she approached the windows.

Maybe this was a really impressive TV and she was just being punked. That was still a thing, right? Ashton Kutcher was going to jump out of a closet any second now and tell her that this was all one very big unfunny joke.

"Do you not remember?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. "I know that you were hit pretty hard on the head...does it hurt? Would you like something for the pain?"

"I just want answers," she demanded, angry and scared as tears pooled in her eyes.

He nodded and sat down on the couch under the windows, gesturing for her to join him.

Ha! Like that was going to happen.

He sighed and moved his hands back into his lap, looking up at her with concern. "I won't harm you," he tried to gently reassure her, but she wasn't feeling very reassured at the moment...especially when she saw his ears lower to his head.

Was he trying to make her feel guilty for making him feel bad? He had fucking kidnapped her!

"What do you remember?"

"Looking for my cat in the woods. And then I found your little group."

"Is that all?" he pressed, his ears tentatively unflattening.

"Yes," she confirmed, feeling her bottom lip begin to quiver. She would not cry. She absolutely would not fucking cry. She couldn't. Not in front of this guy. She had to be strong and find a way out of this crazy, shitty mess.

He tilted his head to the side in thought, as if he was trying to decide whether she was telling the truth or if there was another detail she was keeping from him. "What do your people call you?" he finally asked.

"Kagome."

"Kagome," he repeated, trying her name and feeling it pass over his lips and tongue. He seemed to roll it around in his mouth, savoring the syllables and tasting her name like a sweet candy. "Kagome...I am Inuyasha of Inusekai, second son of Touga, ruler of Inukuni."

"That's a very long name," she whispered, and she watched his face split into a wide grin before he smoothed it away.

"You can call me Inuyasha."

"Inuyasha," she nodded, squaring her shoulders. "Please take me home."

"I can't do that," he repeated with a sigh. "I wish I could, but that's no longer an option. If you hadn't found us…" he trailed off, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't. You're a liability, and we can't have that. My men wanted to kill you. I persuaded them not to, and this was the alternative."

"No," she whispered, shaking her head vigorously. "This couldn't possibly have been the only alternative. What are you even going to do with me now that you've kidnapped me?"

He glanced down in shame once the translator finished relaying her plight to him.

Oh god. He didn't have a plan. He had no fucking idea what her life was going to be like in the long term. He had just had her knocked unconscious, and whisked her off to his...his what? Spacecraft?

She shook her head and clenched her fists as her head began to feel light from panic. Fainting wasn't going to help her now. "I'm just going to be a problem for you. Simply take me home, and I won't be your problem anymore," she insisted, trying to reason with him.

"It would be easier to kill you than to take you home at this point, and it would give me the same end result," he replied wryly, causing her to clutch the pillow tighter and back away from him. He immediately winced at her reaction as he closed his eyes and his fists before opening them again.

"Kagome, I will not harm you," he stated firmly again, looking back up at her. "I will not let you be harmed. You're under my protection now, and I'll keep you safe."

"How do you expect me to trust in that when you were talking about killing me ten seconds ago?"

"I won't kill you," he insisted.

"How can I believe that?"

"If I wanted to hurt you, I could have done it already," he pointed out dryly. "You have been unconscious for quite some time. I was starting to worry."

That would explain why he was hovering over her when she woke up.

"Just because you didn't do it before doesn't mean you won't change your mind about it now."

"That is true…" he agreed slowly. "But why would I want to?"

"I can be quite difficult - maybe even a pain to deal with. Why keep me around? You say you don't want to hurt me, but you don't want to deal with me either...so...wouldn't it be easier to just take me home and let me be?"

"I told you already...I can't do that," he sighed. "We're too far away for a pod at this point, and we can't turn around without running out of fuel. You're coming with us to Inusekai, and I'll figure out what to do with you when we get there."

She felt her legs give out as her head started to spin, and he leapt forward to catch her as she fell.

_You're coming with us to Inusekai…_

His words seemed to echo over and over again in her mind, and she felt like she was going to vomit. He carefully pried the pillow from her arms as he scooped her up and laid her down on the couch, resting her head on the pillow he had just taken from her. He gently moved her black hair out of her face, and she felt his fingertips linger on her cheek for a moment before he pulled away with a slight blush staining his cheeks.

"I had a medic look at you when we brought you aboard...He gave me macarons to help with your head when you woke up."

"Macarons?" she repeated, puzzled. She couldn't have heard that right...

He stood up and went to the small nightstand next to the bed, picking up a glass of something that was a clear liquid and a small bottle of something she couldn't see before he returned to her side.

"Macarons," he repeated, opening the small bottle and holding out two small pill-like objects in his hand. "It'll help with your head," he explained. "It'll make it stop hurting."

"Those aren't macarons," she smiled smally. "It's medicine."

"Medicine," he repeated, tilting his head. "Medicine…Kagome...Medicine..." He seemed to enjoy trying out English. This was good to know. Maybe that could be useful to her.

"Your translator isn't perfect."

"It's not. It will become more accurate the more you speak," he shrugged before offering her the pills and clear liquid again.

"No...Thank you. I don't want it."

"It'll help you feel better," he insisted, shaking his head and pushing them towards her for the third time.

"I feel fine," she snapped. His ears lowered and his eyes drooped at her outburst. "I don't trust it," she found herself explaining in a gentler tone. He looked back at her in surprise before his face softened into understanding and he lowered his eyes again.

"I see...but you are in pain?"

She looked away from him, unwilling to discuss her health with him since it was his fault she was in this predicament to begin with.

"Kagome?" he prompted, reaching out to her as she jerked away. Her reaction stilled his hand and made him retract it. He frowned in thought before nodding. "Kagome, look at me," he demanded, and she slowly turned her head and raised her eyes to his face. He placed the pills into his mouth and drank some of the liquid from the glass to wash them down.

"And that's supposed to prove to me that I should take your pills?"

"Yes," he replied firmly, squaring his shoulders. "Why would I take them if they would hurt you?"

"Because maybe they won't hurt you like they will me," she shot back, and she saw his jaw twitch.

"I am part ningen, too."

"Excuse me?"

"Ningen. My mother is ningen, like you."

"What the hell is ningen?"

"What you are," he replied in frustration. "The medic told me when I took you to him. You are of the ningen species."

"I'm a human," she disagreed. He tried the word again, repeating it.

"You are human...I am part human, too."

"You don't look very human."

"My father is an Inu Youkai," he explained. This time she tried the foreign word, and his lips turned up slightly in response as he nodded. "I look different because of him. I am like you, too...but I am stronger."

Her breath caught in her throat at that, and she shifted away from him. Was that a threat?

He seemed to understand her unease and sighed. "I won't hurt you, Kagome," he promised again, looking down dejectedly. "I want you to be safe and well. I will find you a purpose when we get to Inusekai."

"I had a purpose on Earth," she shot back, pushing herself to sit back up.

"Earth...Earth...Earth…"

"Would you stop doing that?" she snapped, and he winced. He then tilted his head up and to the side and let out a whimper-like sound.

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" she asked harshly, and he closed his eyes.

"I...it's submission," he winced again, almost like verbally admitting that he was submitting to her was painful.

She just cocked her head to the side, pondering what he had said. He looked like a dog...whimpered like one...submitted like one. How interesting. Perhaps this could be useful to remember as well.

"Does that mean you will let me go home?"

"I keep telling you - I can't," he replied in exasperation.

"Because I'm a liability?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"You know too much."

"Because I saw a group of oddly dressed men walking around in the woods? That could mean anything," she scoffed.

"It doesn't matter. It's too late," he insisted, shaking his head.

"It doesn't have to be. You can always take me home."

"I told you. I can't," he explained as calmly as he could, but she could see from the look in his eyes that he was becoming annoyed with her.

"Ok...you can't. Because of the fuel, right? That's why you can't take me home?"

"And because you're a liability."

"What if I weren't?" she asked hopefully. "You clearly have technology well beyond what my people have. We have nothing like that translator. Is there a way to wipe this from my memory, and then you could take me home? There has to be," she pleaded, watching as he bit the inside of his lip.

"There might be a way…"


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

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Chapter 3

"I might be able to wipe your memory, but I can do nothing about it until we get to Inusekai. We need to refuel first, and there are crew members on board who haven't seen their families in too long. When we get to Inusekai...I promise I will see what I can do about taking you home."

She found herself searching his face and trusting him before she could think otherwise.

"I believe you," she said finally, and he let out a breath of relief. He offered her the medicine again, but she shook her head. "Just let me sleep," she whispered. At that request, he scooped her up and made her yelp in surprise as he brought her back to the bed where she had woken up earlier. He gently laid her down and covered her with the sheets before sitting beside the bed and resting his head on his crossed arms on top of the mattress to watch her.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, and he flushed red in embarrassment.

"Making sure you are alright," he scoffed, as if it were obvious.

"And you have to do that there?"

"I didn't think you wanted me _in _my bed with you," he smirked.

_My_ bed. This was _his_ room.

Perfect.

She felt all of the blood drain from her head at that notion.

"You didn't have a spare room for me?"

"I didn't think it would be safe for you anywhere else," he admitted with pinking cheeks, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

He was blushing an awful lot.

If he _was_ in fact part human...then that could mean he found her attractive.

Once you moved past the kidnapping and adjusted to the fact that he wasn't all human, she had to admit that he was rather attractive as well. That was another thing to file away under useful, though...and another thing to cause her concern.

"Why wouldn't I be safe?"

"My decision on how to..._handle_ you...was an unpopular one," he admitted. She felt herself become light-headed again.

Today was going great.

Her cat runs off...she gets kidnapped (as opposed to _murdered_)...wakes up on an _alien spaceship_…and now, there are people on said ship who _still_ want to kill her.

_Fuck_ Mondays.

"You don't need to watch over me like a hawk. It's not like I can run off somewhere."

"Hawk?" he asked, tilting his head to the side on his arms in a perplexed tone.

"Large bird? Great eyesight?"

"I have great eyesight - why would I need to watch you like a hawk if I have great eyesight?"

"Why don't you use that eyesight from the otherside of the room, then?" she asked lowly. She really wanted to put some space between them, and it seemed to finally occur to him that maybe she wasn't too keen on the idea of him hovering around her.

He stood with a blush and walked back over to the couch. She rolled away from him to try and help herself ignore the fact that he was obviously still here, but that wasn't going too well. It was like she could _feel_ the heat from his eyes as he watched her just lay there.

"What's so fascinating about me?" she finally asked, unable to take his attention anymore. "I'm obviously not the first human you've ever seen, so why do you need to _constantly_ watch me?"

"I...you're...I don't know," he finally sighed, and she sensed that it was a lie. "I just do. I need to make sure you're ok."

"Given everything that's happened to me today...I think I'm coping with my new reality pretty well, wouldn't you say?"

She was met with silence, and she rolled back over to look at him with hard eyes. He looked so crestfallen and defeated...like he was genuinely upset with the circumstances and the situation.

"Yes. You are."

"At least we can agree on one thing," she mumbled. "So...how long will it take to get back to Inu-whatever."

"Inusekai?"

"Yeah. There."

"Our current trajectory has us arriving within the next two months."

"Two months?!" she repeated, bolting upright with a groan and cradling her head in her hands. "That can't be right...that means the soonest I'll be home is in_—_"

"—four months," he finished in a whisper, his ears drooping. "I'm so sorry, Kagome. For all of this."

"What will my family think? My friends? Oh my _god_...I'm _so_ fired! And my cat!"

She felt light-headed again, and she was glad he had put her on his bed.

"We can contact them," he offered softly.

"Is that even possible? Doesn't that go against your whole liability thing?"

"We can record a video and send it out so I can make sure you don't say anything you shouldn't."

A video? He was just piling on the kidnapping cliches, wasn't he? Although, she had to admit that the whole alien thing was a bit of a twist...and, to her surprise, he appeared to be genuinely remorseful over everything.

"When I'm feeling better, I'd like that. Thank you..."

"I will make sure it happens," he reassured her, running his hands up and down his legs from his thighs to his knees rather nervously.

She laid back down and watched him watch her. His cheeks would occasionally turn bright red, and he would have to look away from her for a moment before shyly turning back to her. This was going to be a long four months if this was how he was going to constantly behave.

Fuck...was she going to stay with him the whole time?

"Where am I staying while we go to Inusekai?"

"Here," he replied, furrowing his brow.

"And where are _you_ staying?"

"Here," he replied, clearly more timidly this time.

"Perfect," she groaned, and he winced.

"I told you...I don't think you will be safe elsewhere."

"And you think I'm safer here with you? A random man I don't really trust?"

"You don't need to trust me," he pointed out firmly. "You just have to obey me and stay."

"_Obey and stay?"_

"Yes."

"Like I'm a _dog_?"

"Yes."

"Are you kidding me?"

"What about this situation makes you think that I am anything less than serious? I told you - I can keep you safe."

"And what's keeping me safe from _you_?" she whispered harshly. She saw his breath catch in his throat, and his fists clenched and unclenched as he pressed his lips into a thin line.

Finally, he seemed to come to a decision as he stood from the couch and walked over to the wall across from her. There was a large, square, box-like hole with a tablet shaped screen to the right above a low, long, acrylic cabinet. He pressed a few buttons on the side of it and asked it for something she couldn't understand, and something she couldn't clearly see instantly materialized within it.

He picked it up and brought it over, kneeling down before her and placing the strange object on her lap.

"Put it on me," he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut. He reminded her of a child receiving a shot. It was obvious he didn't really want this - she could see it on his face, clear as day.

"What is it?" she asked, lifting it up. It looked like a long strand of large onyx beads with ivory teeth on it.

"It doesn't matter. Just put it on me."

"Why?"

"You wanted to be kept safe from me, right?" he demanded, his eyes hardening. "Put that on me and you won't have to worry about me."

She eyed him with uncertainty, but slid the long strand of beads around his neck and watched as the ends connected on their own, creating a necklace.

"What does it do?"

"Activate it and you will find out," he winced.

"Why do you look like you're dreading this?"

"Just activate it," he sighed, like he was resigned to his fate.

"I don't know how to do that."

"You pick a word of subjugation."

"What does _that_ mean?"

"Just pick something!"

"I don't know what you want me to do!" she cried in exasperation, gesturing wildly with her hands.

He silently stood and walked to the other side of the room, squaring his shoulders and his jaw. He turned back around to face her, his eyes determined.

"Pick something, Kagome," he repeated calmly.

"I don't know what you want me to say!"

"Ok..." he nodded before bending his knees and flexing his clawed hands menacingly. Then, he charged her.

"Pick something!" he yelled as he jumped, raising a hand to strike her. Her world froze.

She needed to say something then and there to do whatever the fuck it was he was trying to get her to do, or there was a very good chance she was going to die.

He wanted her to say something to subjugate him?

Fine.

He looked like a dog right? So...

"Sit, boy!" she yelled, and she watched as the necklace glowed and roughly dropped him to the floor. He cried out in pain as his face smashed into the tile floor, and he groaned as the necklace kept him there until it stopped glowing.

"Fuck," he groaned, rolling over onto his back.

"What the hell was that?" she whispered.

"Your fail safe. Only you can activate it. Did you have to pick something so demeaning?" he ground out, covering his nose with his hands. "Fuck! That hurt!"

"You didn't exactly explain what the hell was going on," she snapped back, and he winced.

"I told you to pick a fucking word!"

"Yeah, well...I did."

"I was there. I know," he snapped back. "Fuck…"

Frankly, it served him right after doing what he did to her.

"So it only activates for me? And it does that every time?" she confirmed.

"Yeah," he sighed, slowly sitting back up.

"Huh. Sit, boy!"

"Fuck!" he yelled as he was slammed back down into the floor, the back of his head connecting with the hard tile with a loud smack. "Could you not do that every ten seconds?"

"Could you have not kidnapped me? Sit!"

"Shit!" he yelped as he was slammed down for a third time, and she giggled.

"This is kinda fun."

"You're kinda sadistic," he shot back.

"You're masochistic if you gave this to me," she shot back, and he reddened again. Maybe he really _was_ masochistic. Interesting...

"Just...don't use it unless you feel you have to, ok?"

"Fine," she agreed. "What keeps you from taking it off, though? Seems like it would only work if you can wear it."

"I can't. Only you can."

"So...I own your ass?"

"Yeah," he smiled softly, looking up at her longingly from the floor. "You do…"

Well..._that_ felt like a loaded response.

"If I sit back up, will you just put me on the floor again?"

"Not this time," she relented, allowing him to rise.

"Do you want your medicine?" he tried one more time.

"No," she insisted, and he nodded.

"I thought you would say that. I need to do something...but I promise I'll be back soon."

"You mean you can leave me alone?"

"I don't like the idea of it, but I have no choice. Just...don't open the door for anyone. Only someone with a key can get into my room."

"Aren't you worried I'll run off?"

"And go where? Besides...I thought your head hurt and you just wanted to sleep?" he smirked.

Well, fuck him too.

"I'll be back soon," he promised one more time, tucking his necklace into his vest. "Sleep well, Kagome," he smiled softly, leaving her behind to fall back into his bed with a sigh.

* * *

Kagome slowly woke up to hushed voices speaking softly through the translator, pulling her mind out of the sleep laden fog curling around the edges of her mind. She nervously looked around, trying to take in her surroundings. She thought she was still in Inuyasha's room, but everything was dark and there were walls where she didn't remember them before. She couldn't see the table and couch from before, and in their place a door stood slightly ajar.

"_It's cruel. All of this,"_ she heard a voice say from her translator. It sounded like Inuyasha.

"_I know,"_ a second male voice soothed, and she crept out of bed towards the door to peek into the other room where she could hear the original voices coming from. _"I'm so sorry. Does she know?"_

"_She doesn't know anything,"_ Inuyasha sighed, running his hands up his face. _"She doesn't remember anything."_

"Anything?" the other man pressed.

"_Yeah."_

"_That could be good…"_

"_Really? How? She's terrified of me, and she hates me!"_

"_I know," _the other man pacified. _"I thought this wasn't possible?"_

"_So did everyone else," _he laughed bitterly. _"I'm so fucked."_

"_Not yet you aren't,"_ the other man laughed, and Inuyasha shot him a withering look.

"_I'm sorry," _he winced. _"I know it's not funny. Not really. If this were Ayame…"_ the man shook his head with a sigh. _"What will you do?"_

"_I have no fucking idea. It hurts so much, Koga...I can feel it howling in me."_

"_I know."_

"_Do you?"_ he snapped.

"_I know your situation is worse…"_

"_You think?"_

"_Hey...I'm trying to be helpful, here…"_

"_Then give me a fucking solution! I can't bring her home to be butchered," _he whispered brokenly. _"I won't do it. I'd rather die first."_

"_Can the jewel be removed without killing her?"_

"_Not according to the medic."_

"_Have you met him? He's not always the brightest. You need a second opinion. What about if you completed the—"_

"—_I can't do that to her, either. Not...not without a lot of things happening first."_

"_I'm just saying that your father might not be so quick to put her on the table if she is—"_

"—_it won't matter. The whole goddamn reason I'm even alive is for _this_. He's made that _plainly _clear over the years. I'm his fucking precious little science experiment. If I were my brother, maybe..."_

How the hell was he a science experiment?

"_He's changed."_

"_Not that much," _Inuyasha sighed.

"_I am sorry, you know."_

"_Yeah. I do. You're the only one I trust right now. You can't tell anyone else about this, Koga. Please…"_

"_I swear it."_

What the actual fuck was going on?


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine

* * *

Chapter 4

Kagome heard the door to Inuyasha's quarters open and close, signaling the departure of the second man. She ran back to bed, covering herself with blankets and pretended to sleep. She could feel her heart pounding in her throat and her fingers shook, making the task more difficult than it should have been. There was no way he had meant for her to overhear that conversation. She couldn't give him any reason to think that she may have.

Fortunately, she he made it back under not a moment too soon, and the small sliver of light from the ajar door widened before disappearing again as Inuyasha opened the door and entered the room.

"Kagome?" he called out in a light whisper. When she didn't respond, he moved closer to the bed, and she felt the mattress dip under his weight as he sat down. She mentally willed her racing heart to slow down.

"Kagome?" he whispered again, waiting for a response. When she once again remained silent, she felt him gently turn her so that the back of her head where she had been hit was facing him. He carefully parted her hair so that the swelling and bruise was visible, and she felt the mattress shift as he leaned down to give her scalp a soft lick.

It was highly unexpected, and she audibly gasped from the pain before sighing - his tongue seemed to soothe her swollen skin. He parted her hair again and repeated the process over and over until her pain disappeared. She felt like absolute putty in his hands.

"Why does that feel so good?" she whispered softly as he smoothed her hair back into place. He gently stroked her scalp, lightly raking his claws against her skin in a surprisingly delightful way.

"Enzymes in my saliva," he explained, continuing to stroke her hair. "I know you were still in pain, and since you won't take any medicine...I just wanted to help you feel better."

She sighed in exasperation at that, but said nothing more as he continued to gently play with her hair and scalp. It was comforting. Her mother used to do the same thing to her when she was upset.

_"She doesn't know anything...She doesn't remember anything...I can't bring her home to be butchered!"_

Yeah. She had every right to be upset.

"Are you hungry? You haven't eaten in a long time," he gently asked, and she rolled over to regard him with a keen eye.

"Inuyasha...what were you looking for in the woods?"

"So is that a _'no'_ to eating?"

"It's a _'please answer the question'_."

"That doesn't seem fair - you didn't answer mine."

"_Fair? _Do you really want to engage me in a pissing match over _fair?_" she bit out in disbelief.

"If it will get you to eat," he sighed.

"I don't want food. I want answers," she snapped stubbornly.

She watched as his eyes searched her face before he tenderly asked, "Why is knowing important to you?"

"Are you serious?" she hissed, pushing herself to look him in the eye. "You kidnapped me over _whatever the hell_ you were doing! I feel like I have a right to know since you just _upended my life_ to keep me from telling people about it!"

She watched his golden eyes move back and forth across her face as he seemed to mull something over.

Maybe this was the wrong way to go about this.

What was the saying? You attract more flies with honey than vinegar?

She _seemed_ to be important to him...and he _seemed_ to be attracted to her...she should use that to her advantage to get some goddamn answers!

"Please, Inuyasha?" she tried again, softening her tone and gently cupping his cheek in her hand. She heard his breath hitch, and he closed his eyes as he leaned his head into her palm and gently nuzzled it. His lips gently skimmed her skin...and he roughly pulled away at the contact, his eyes suddenly pained as he looked away from her. It was like he had forgotten his place, and he knew he couldn't touch her like that...even though he longed to.

"Come and eat something with me, and I'll tell you what you want to know," he whispered, his eyes and tone defeated - almost broken.

"Ok," she agreed, and he stood from the bed before offering her a hand to help her stand. She bit her tongue and accepted it - small displays of affection seemed to work wonders on him.

Continuing could only benefit her...and if what she overheard was right, she might be able to get him to help he. He could save her from dying when they got to Inusekai.

The road to that started with small gestures.

He gently helped her to her feet and led her out of the room and back into the main area of his quarters.

"I don't remember the bed being walled off before," she commented as he pulled her towards the square hole in the wall above the low, long cabinet that was like an entertainment unit. It was the same square hole he had pulled the beads from earlier.

"It wasn't - I added it while you were sleeping. I thought you would like some privacy. You can have the bed to yourself, and I'll sleep on the couch while you're here."

"For the next two months?" she asked in surprise. When he nodded, she was a little shocked at his response...but also very appreciative.

Two months was a long time for someone to sleep on a couch, especially since it didn't look that large. She knew first-hand that it wasn't that comfortable to lay on, too. It was a very generous gesture. She briefly entertained the thought of offering to rotate with him, but she wasn't feeling that charitable at the moment - not after what he had done to her.

"This is the sozo box," he explained, drawing her attention back to him. "It can create anything you want or need."

"Is this where you get everything from?" she asked, leaning down to look inside. The sides were silver and completely smooth.

"Clothes, food, most of our material objects - it just needs to have knowledge of it in it's system."

"So, it won't have anything from Earth in it," she replied, crestfallen.

"Ask it for something," he grinned widely, pressing a button with his thumb.

She narrowed her eyes at him, but asked for some chicken noodle soup. A bright light flashed in the box as the soup and a spoon appeared.

He reached in and handed the bowl to her, and she looked down at it in shock. The spiral noodles...the chunky pieces of chicken...it was just how her mom made it.

"How? Your translator didn't even have English in it…"

He reached into his pocket and sheepishly took out her phone, and she snatched it from him quickly.

"You went through my phone?" she hissed, and he blinked blankly. He clearly didn't understand how this was a bad thing. "Our phones are very personal - only people we trust can look through them."

"I...I didn't know. We found it with you. It looked like a communicator and we examined it_—_"

"_—_You _examined it?"_

"Our scientists were curious. It still works, though! Look!" he encouraged her and sure enough, it did. She couldn't place any calls on it (shocker), but at least she could still see her photos...for whatever _that_ was worth. It didn't do her a whole load of good.

"We found the in-ter-net," he continued, and he explained how they used the data they could extract from that to do something and something else and this and that. Honestly, she stopped caring halfway through his explanation...because, frankly? She couldn't follow it.

God, she needed an Advil.

She placed the bowl of soup down and asked him to show her how the sozo box worked again.

He told her to press a button on the side and then speak to it. She followed his instructions and requested her pain killers and a glass of water, and they showed up just as the soup had.

"This is amazing," she breathed, and she took them out of the box.

"Is that medicine?" he asked, using the English word instead of his own as she popped the top off of the bottle and poured out two pills.

"Yup," she nodded, throwing the pills back and washing them down with the water. Fuck it...if she was gonna die, she might as well take a few risks. "It helps with headaches."

"I'm glad you're taking some medicine," he nodded, and he pressed the button next to the box and asked it for some food for himself as well. She wasn't sure what it was, but it looked like some version of a seafood stew.

He sat down at the table across from where she had placed her bowl, and she hesitantly joined him as he started eating. He tried to not make it too obvious that he was watching her eat, but he seemed relieved that she was finally consuming _something_.

"So…" she finally began after she'd eaten a few spoonfuls of soup. "What were you doing in the woods?"

He sighed and placed his spoon on the edge of his bowl.

"You didn't waste any time."

"That was the deal, right? I eat, you talk."

"It was," he nodded. "Alright...we were looking for something. A precious stone or a jewel," he breathed out, and she tilted her head to the side.

"Like a diamond?"

"More rare," he shook his head, "There are only a few in existence, and we tracked one to your planet...to your woods. Our mission was to bring it back."

_Can the jewel be removed without killing her?_

Her heart leapt into her throat as she remembered the whispered words from before when the man was here talking with him.

"Did you find it?"

He looked down into his lap before looking back up into her eyes.

"Yes."

* * *

A/Rs:

I'll try and be as organized about this as I can…Starting with Chapter 2 in order of received.

**Ch 2:**

Lola1991: UGH….Can we all take medicine like that? Because that's the dream right there. Headache? Here. Have a macaroon. Need more Vitamin C? Here's an orange flavored one. #missedopportunities. Thanks for the WONDERFUL review, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

Guest: YAAAAAAAAAAAAY! I love it! I guess it's a good thing I posted that teaser in DT Ch 12 all those weeks ago? And it was just a baby fic back then too, LOL! I love that you're loving it, and thank you for the AMAZING review!

**Ch 3:**

Kristin: THANK YOU! And….I feel like I have mislead you (hides in shame). I get a good buffer going before I start posting. I like having the ability to go back in and check my work and make sure that as the story evolves, everything remains consistent. It also makes for regular and consistent posting, which I LOVE. I LOVE knowing what needs to happen when, because then I can make it happen and I feel like I won't let you guys down! Especially when I switch back to Friday postings after the tumblr voting ends…thank you SO MUCH for sending a little love this story's way, and I hope that you will continue to enjoy this story!

Guest: I literally LOLed when I read this! THANK YOU! I hope I don't disappoint, and I hope you enjoy this newest chapter!

Guest (from DT?): Thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy this story, and I'm so excited for you to read the next chapter! Thanks for sending a little love this story's way! I seriously appreciate the love you have sent for both this and DT!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

* * *

Chapter 5

So...he wasn't going to lie to her about finding the jewel. That was good to know. She was curious about just how much he was willing to reveal before the lies started, though...and she was even more curious about whether she would be able to tell when that happened.

"Ok...so that's good, right? You completed your mission."

"We did," he agreed with a nod as he ate more of his stew.

"So...now what?"

"Now, we go home," he shrugged. "Like you said - we completed our mission. We found the jewel, and now we can go home."

"Can I see it?"

"The jewel?" he clarified.

"Yeah. Why not, right? It's not like I can run off with it."

"I don't have it," he replied with a shake of his head as he brought more stew to his mouth.

Hmmm...that felt like a lie.

"Well...where is it?"

"Not on me," he shrugged dismissively.

Ok. That was a definite lie.

"Do you know where it is?"

"Yes."

Honesty. Interesting.

"So, why can't we go and see it?"

"It's not accessible at the moment."

"Why not?"

"Why are you so interested?" he demanded, putting his spoon down roughly.

"I told you already. This thing was worth kidnapping me over, so...yeah. I'm interested in it. I want to know why it was so special."

"Eat more of your food, please," he sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"Ok," she agreed, swallowing another spoonful. "Why is it not accessible at the moment?"

He smiled wryly at her before his face turned sad.

"You're relentless, aren't you?"

"I've been known to not take 'no' for an answer," she shrugged.

"Alright," he began in exasperation, pausing to carefully pick his next words. "Well...it's not accessible right now because I can't get into where it's being kept without some serious consequences."

"Like what? You'll get fired?" she snorted.

"That would be a dream come true, but it will never happen," he scoffed bitterly. "The second son of Touga shall and will be a warrior, as is his brother, as is his father, as was his father's father, as was his father's father's father..."

"You sound resentful," she smiled softly.

"Do I?"

"Mmm…" she replied, leaning forward to rest her elbow on the table top and prop her cheek on her palm.

"Perhaps I am," he shrugged. "We aren't always delt fair lots in life, but you still have to find a way to make do."

"Are you saying that about yourself or about me?"

"I think I'll let you decide," he grinned back mysteriously, finally picking his spoon back up to eat more of his stew.

"So...if you weren't a warrior, what would you be?"

"An explorer," he replied instantly. "Or a scientist. I want to see what else is out there...I want to discover things we've never discovered before and learn about civilizations we've never seen or dreamed of. I...I have to admit that when we found Earth, I was thrilled. Everything was new! Everything was so..._primitive_. It was fascinating! And your language...and your phone…"

"What _about_ my phone?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes.

"In a word? Fascinating," he sighed, smiling. "I was there when they were looking through it," he blushed, looking down to his stew. "I enjoyed your photos."

"Which photos?" she squeaked.

"All of them! It was like being able to look inside your life," he explained excitedly with a wide grin stretched across his face. "I could see the people you hold close to you. And food! And clothes! Tell me...why do you take so many photos of your cat?"

"Oh my god…" she groaned.

"Is that a rude question?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

"It's just a hard one to explain," she sighed.

"Oh...I see...am...am I being rude, Kagome? By asking you about your photos?"

"I...I don't know," she replied honestly, cocking her head to the side. "I don't know why we take the photos we do...and I don't know if it's rude to ask me about them. I...I think it's fine," she finally decided, and he looked relieved.

"Good...I don't want to offend you," he blushed softly, giving her a shy smile...and she believed him. She put her arm down and ate another spoonful of soup.

"So...since you went through my phone, do you have any questions about it? For the sake of your research?"

His eyes widened and his cheeks flushed before he vigorously shook his head no.

"Are you sure?" she asked, and his cheeks only darkened.

"I...I have a lot of questions, but I think they're all inappropriate."

"Now I'm curious..." she smiled. "You have to ask me!"

He glanced up at her face and then back down to his food before muttering his question.

"I'm sorry?" she asked, prompting him to repeat it.

"Is it common for men to send photos of their genitals to women if they are interested in courting them?" he mumbled more loudly this time, and she felt her cheeks light up.

"How...why…"

"It was in an app-li-ca-tion for courting," he explained. "I found that one very interesting once we decoded your language."

"I...did you read my messages?" she demanded, blanching.

"Enough to understand that men like to share images of their genitals and request the same from the women they are interested in," he blushed. "If I were wanting to court you, would you expect me to show you my genitals before we began so you could approve them? Is that how courtship is initiated?"

"No!" she yelled, covering her face with her hands and turning bright red. "Please...don't _ever_ show me your..._genitals_. Women don't enjoy that. At all. I don't know why it started...but did you notice that I never responded to anyone who did that?"

"You responded to some of them...was it because you enjoyed their appearance?"

"_No! _I was probably drunk, if I did," she groaned. Explaining dick pics to an alien was not on the list of things she ever thought she would have to do. "Sending those photos is considered rude. It's unwanted and vile. Unless you have that sort of relationship, most women, or at least all of the ones I know, don't enjoy those photos."

"So, what do women like?" he asked shyly. "What...what do _you_ like?"

"I...I don't know..._not_ that, though," she sighed. "I like men who _don't_ do that. I like guys who want to get to know me as a person. I want someone who I can easily talk to and who can make me laugh. I want things to feel fluid and natural. Isn't it the same way with women where you're from?"

"We don't get much choice in the matter," he shrugged. "It's already decided for most of us."

"So, you don't..._court_ anyone when you're younger?"

"We can, but a lot of us don't see the point. It only makes things harder when the time comes."

"Have you ever courted anyone?"

"Once," he replied sadly, and she found herself feeling..._something_ for him because of his tone. "It doesn't matter, though."

"Sounds like I struck a nerve," she observed.

"I'm not considered a prize among women at home," he shrugged. "My mixed heritage makes me less desirable."

"Really? I would think your father being a ruler would make you desirable. You're rather attractive, too."

"You think so?" he asked with a small, hopeful smile.

"I mean...I'm used to humans, but you have some interesting and exotic features," she shrugged, and his face fell slightly.

"Ah," he replied simply.

She watched him push his stew around in his bowl, his spoon lightly scraping against the bottom.

"I think you have beautiful eyes," she told him after a moment, and he looked up at her in surprise. "They're different. They're unique and expressive, and I like their color. All of your human features are very striking, too. Your jaw, your cheekbones...You would be considered a catch back on Earth."

She didn't know why, but she felt better seeing him perk up and smile. Maybe it was because he was trying so hard to be nice and he really did seem to be concerned about her and her well-being...and it's not like it was a lie.

"So, you find me desirable?" he grinned.

"I didn't say that...and I think we got off-topic."

"Because our conversation is fluid and natural?" he asked with a smirk, and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah...sure."

"You think I'm funny, too."

"It was a good joke," she relented with a smile.

"So...now I just have to get to know you?" he asked rather seriously, and her eyes widened slightly.

"That...no," she blushed, leaning back. "We're talking about the jewel, remember?"

"I thought we were talking about courtship?"

"You sidetracked me," she countered, shaking her head. "Why do you want the jewel?"

He looked at her for a long moment before he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair.

"No. I'm not answering that. Not unless you answer a few questions for me, too."

"Changing our deal, are we?"

"Yeah. I am. I...I want to know more about you and Earth and courtship," he shrugged.

"Why?" she asked skeptically, and he blushed.

"I'm curious. And I told you...I find you fascinating."

"Me, or where I come from?"

"I have to pick?"

Her brows rose at that, and she shook her head before leaning forward to eat more soup. Was he intentionally trying to flirt with her?

"Why do you want the jewel?" she repeated, and he crossed his arms on the table behind his bowl.

"I don't," he finally told her quite seriously. "I wish the damn thing didn't exist. But it does, and I've been sent to retrieve it."

"So...if you don't want it, who does?"

"My father."

"Really? Why?"

His ears lowered, and he looked down at his crossed arms as a defeated, humorless smile gracing his lips.

"So he can use it on me."

* * *

A/Rs (In order of received):

Guest: I know! I'm the worst. That's a bit of a thing in this story, if we couldn't tell ;)

Guest: And thank YOU for the amazing review! I'm so glad you loved! I've been having a blast writing it and I love hearing when people love reading it, so THANK YOU! I hope you enjoyed Dog Tags too! Talk about a behemoth of a story (and it's still going, LOL!)

JLD (Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4): THANK YOU! Your reviews seriously helped make MY day! And I love that you binge read the whole thing, and your reviews seriously left my heart all warm and fuzzy. I know…him putting on the necklace WILLINGLY is a bit of a twist! He's just trying to do anything and everything he can to make her feel better, and make her feel like she has some control in her life after everything got turned upside down against her will. He REALLY likes her and just wants to help…and if this will make her feel safer, he's willing to do it.

Guest: LOL! Peer pressure! It's also nice because then you get email updates when your favorite stories are updated! All will be revealed in time, I promise! Thank you though! I've been dying to see someone do a scifi Inuyasha FF for years and I never found one…so I clearly decided to just go for it myself, and I'm glad you're loving it too! Thank you for sending a little love this story's way, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter too!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

* * *

Chapter 6

"I don't think I understand," she replied, shaking her head. "How does he plan to use it on you? It's just a stone, right?"

"It is and it isn't," he sighed. "It's like...fuel," he began. "It's completely useless unless it's put into our ship, right? Then it makes it function and work. My body is like the ship, and the stone is like the fuel."

"So...you need the stone to work?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

"No," he sighed, leaning his head onto his palms. "Maybe that was a bad analogy."

"Then don't use analogies," she smiled softly, reaching out to gently touch his tricep. He glanced down at her hand in surprise. "Just be honest. What does the jewel do?"

She watched his throat move as he swallowed, continuing to look at her hand on him as he nodded his head.

"There was a legend about the jewel that dated back thousands of years. It was said to be a source of power for youkai. It would increase strength, speed, stamina...turn us into super beings. One was located hundreds of years ago at the request of our leader, who was seeking to tap into that power. It took years, but one was found and brought back to Inusekai. Scientists crushed it into hundreds of pieces and a small, microscopic amount of it was formulated into a pill.

We had thousands volunteer to try the pills for the greater good of Inusekai...strong, weak, men, women...and the experiments went very poorly. Everyone went crazy and lost their minds, and there was no saving them.

Almost everyone.

There was a half-breed the medicine seemed to benefit...but one man out of thousands?

It was decided that the remaining pills would be destroyed, and we washed our hands of the experiment.

My father," he chuckled bitterly. "My father was curious, though. He wanted to know why that one half-breed...that hanyou grew stronger. So, he met my mother, whelped me, and has been grooming me for this ever since."

"He wants to experiment on you," she surmised in horror, her breath catching in her throat.

"He thinks I will lead the way in creating a new super soldier for us...and it's more important now than ever before that we succeed. We've had fragile relations with the Kumo Youkai for the last fifty years...but their leader passed away three years ago, and his successor shattered the tentative peace we tried to keep. We've been at war with them ever since, and the death tolls are only getting worse. If this works...I could be the key to ending this war."

"And if it doesn't?"

"If I go crazy, you mean?" he clarified sardonically. "Then they put me down," he confessed in a whisper, and she covered her mouth with her hand.

"This is...it's heinous."

"It's what I was born for. It's my sole purpose in life."

"And you're...ok with this?"

"It's my duty."

"It's no one's duty to be a lab rat," she countered, still abhorred by the thought of what his own _father_ was forcing him to do.

"It's mine," he snapped. "I have no say in this. I have no say in anything!" he continued, smacking the table in frustration and for emphasis. She jumped in surprise, raising a hand to her chest to calm her now racing heart from his unexpected physical outburst.

"All I can do is train myself physically and mentally so that I can serve my people.

I've seen the reports, I've read all of the studies - there's no evidence or proof to substantiate this theory. It might have been sheer luck that he survived. There's no proof that having a human side to help balance out and repress our inner youkai beast will be the key to super youkai strength...but it's a risk I have to take.

For my people.

How am I better than any of the others who came before me, willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good? Why should I be excluded? What makes me so much better?"

"Because you aren't really willing, are you?"

"Not when I think it's futile," he laughed bitterly. "Please don't look at me like that, Kagome," he pleaded softly, and she leaned back in her chair.

"Like what?"

"Like you pity me. I can't handle you looking at me like that," he confessed, his words so quiet that she could barely make them out. "I've made my peace with this...or as much peace as I can."

"I am sorry, though. It's...it's not right."

He tentatively reached across the table and nervously placed his hand on its side next to hers. He wasn't quite touching her, but she could feel the heat from his palm against her skin as she glanced up at him. It was like he wanted her comfort, but he was ashamed of himself for feeling that sort of emotion...and she knew she should want to reject his silent request, but she found herself moving her thumb into his palm and rubbing his flesh. He reacted almost instantly, and his claws delicately scraped against her knuckles.

"When does it happen?"

"The process will begin almost as soon as we get to Inusekai."

"So, I guess you won't be taking me home, huh?"

"Someone else will most likely have to," he agreed forlornly, pulling away from her. "Someone I know and trust. I meant it, Kagome...I'll do whatever I can to make it so that you can go home."

"And if I can't?"

"You _will_ have a purpose and a life," he promised. "Even if it's the last thing I do, I'll do it. I'll make it so."

She looked up into his golden eyes, and the sincerity she saw in his honeyed orbs robbed her of her breath. She _was_ important to him for reasons she didn't understand, and he _did _mean it. Maybe she was being naive in trusting him after everything he had done, but the look in his eyes told her that he meant every word that he had just said.

"Well...dinner certainly took a dark turn," she joked. He let out a dry chuckle.

"Yeah. It did," he agreed with a small, self-deprecating smile.

"Why don't you ask me more questions about Earth, then? Fair is fair, right?"

* * *

"You can wash up in here," Inuyasha instructed her after dinner, showing her how to use the "bathroom".

One thing she appreciated about the ship? The artificial gravity. It made things like taking a shower so much easier than if that didn't exist. She had seen videos on YouTube of astronauts trying to do the same thing, and it wasn't nearly as easy as it currently was for her. She felt like she was in the Hilton of spacecrafts when compared to that.

The shower was separated from the rest of the room by (what she assumed to be) a clear glass wall. There was a large, white rectangular surface that was back lit, and it appeared to double as a sink. The toilet rose up from the floor when you stood in front of it, and had so many functions that she swore it should have come from Japan, not Inusekai.

The shower, however, was lovely and easy to use. There was a panel you pressed your hand to, and water shot out of the showerhead at the perfect temperature. He showed her how to raise and lower it if she had wanted to, but the panel took your body temperature and heated the water accordingly.

Inuyasha told her that she could leave her pajamas and undergarments (which she had still been wearing this whole time) in the bathroom and he would find a place to keep them.

In the meantime, she had the sozo box to use as her personal closet...and she had to say, she quite enjoyed it. It allowed her to change into some good, supportive undergarments along with a simple pair of comfortable leggings and a slouchy, oversized sweater when she was clean.

All things considered, she felt like a new woman - her pain killers had kicked in, she had gotten some food in her belly, and she had cleaned herself up and changed into more suitable clothing.

She gave herself a once-over in the mirror, and she was pleased to say that she even thought she looked better.

She picked up the translator from her discarded pile of clothing and turned it over in her hands, and she jumped when it began speaking to her in Inuyasha's muffled voice from the other room.

"_Took you long enough to answer."_

"_I'm sorry," _came yet another male voice she couldn't identify. _"I had an emergency surgery. I just looked over the scans you sent me. It doesn't look promising."_

"_I know...but there has to be a way to make this work!"_

"_There could be," _the first man replied hesitantly, _"But it's risky. _Very_ risky. Given the mass and the location of the ball, there is no way to save the organ."_

"_So what are you suggesting?"_

"_I'm suggesting growing a new one and just cutting the existing one out. It's risky because even with all of our knowledge and technology, this is a vital organ. It will be taxing."_

"_But she will live."_

"_Presumably."_

"Presumably_?"_

"_Inuyasha...even if we grow it in time and the surgery goes perfectly, something could still happen in post-op...not to mention that her body has probably become accustomed to it over time...who knows what will happen once we removed it. This is an extraordinary case with extraordinary circumstances surrounding it, and there is hardly any research to help us along. The youkai who found it the last time weren't as desperate to keep the host alive as you are."_

"_Are you saying that I should just give up?" _Inuyasha snarled.

"_I didn't say that...I just think that perhaps you should discuss it with this woman before you do anything rash. How does she feel about this?"_

"_I haven't spoken to her about it. She's had to handle enough as it is...I...I couldn't burden her with this."_

"_So, is she really your...?"_

"_My what?" _Inuyasha demanded lowly, almost as if he were daring him to finish that thought.

"_Oh, come on...you know what…"_

"_I'm not going to dignify that with a response," _he snapped, and the other man snickered.

"_At least you have two months alone with her...with nothing to do…nowhere to go…"_

"_I...we…" _Inuyasha sputtered, and Kagome felt her cheeks heat at the implication that this man was making. It was obvious that they were talking about her...but she had no intention of sleeping with Inuyasha! And she'd be damned if they were going to remove one of her _organs_! No way. No way in _fucking hell_! _"That's not going to happen, Miroku."_

"_Why not? Why not give in to your beast?"_

"_Because that would require a willing participant, and she is not," _he replied lowly, his voice coming out in a growl.

Good. At least Inuyasha seemed to understand that any carnal activities were off the table.

"_I don't envy you,"_ Miroku sighed. _"Why don't you take some time to think about what I said...Talk to her about her options—"_

"—_We don't have any other options. I spoke with the medic on board. I spoke with five other surgeons who have the clearance for this. Everyone looked at the scans and told me I shouldn't bother. You're the only one who has had a potentially useful idea to keep her alive."_

Miroku sighed and was silent for a long time before finally whispering, _"I'm so sorry, Inuyasha. It's a shit situation. I can start growing it, but I need some things from you first."_

"_Send me a list and I'll get it done before you wake up in the morning. Can you get this done in two months?"_

"_It would be better if I had more time, but yes - I believe I can."_

"_I don't think I can buy us more time. I have a call with my father scheduled for tomorrow morning that I've pushed off four times already."_

"_Reluctant to give him the good news?"_

"_Which one?" _he laughed bitterly. _"That I found her again, or that I have the jewel? Either way, I'm fucked."_

"_I mean...you could be…"_ Miroku replied, the innuendo clear in his voice. She wished he would stop pushing that subject! Yes, Inuyasha was attractive. She had already conceded that point many times before now. That didn't mean she was just going to jump into bed with him!

At least Inuyasha was respectful of the fact that she might not actually _want_ that, even if might not be the worst thing in the—

—_No_. She didn't. And she wasn't going to, damnit!

"_Get me the list, Miroku,"_ Inuyasha snapped, and she heard a beep come from the other side of the door. She leaned her back against it and slowly slid down, resting her head in her hands as she sat on the floor.

Inuyasha really wasn't being as sneaky as he probably thought he was, and she felt like she was slowly starting to piece the whole picture together.

Inuyasha wasn't lying when he said he didn't have the jewel...because she did.

* * *

A/N:

It's ok. We can love to hate me.

Announcements! If you aren't on Tumblr with me, you might not know this…but Saucy is now working on this story with me! I just missed her too much. She has gone back in and re-edited chapters 1-5 and I LOVE YOU GIRL!

I do want to thank Elohiniar for the initial edits she did! She went through everything I gave her very quickly and I'm very impressed with how fast she went through it! Much love girl, and be sure to check out her things! I know she's working on a new fluff piece for the Sessh/Rin fans.

Also a brief shout out to Dawnrider for her initial help with chapter 3. A lot of those shout outs got cut during the reuploading of chapters. User error. Oi…

Also, plugging tumblr again because of user error. **Sneak peaks. Contests. Updates**. **Just did an Ask Me Anything for this story and will be doing another one after chapter 10 is live.** Like really…come find me! **Lemonlushff dot tumblr dot com.**

**Next chapter goes live on Tuesday, January 28!**

Till then!

-Lemon Lush

* * *

A/Rs:

Kat: I'M SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY! But it's here now! :D

Guest: THANK YOU! I love that you love it so much!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

* * *

Chapter 7

Kagome ran her fingers through her damp hair and tried to get her jumbled thoughts in order.

Ok. Without making too many assumptions, she was kidnapped because she had the jewel in her. It wasn't because she was a liability, but because Inuyasha needed her. He needed the _jewel_, rather...but he didn't really want it. Getting it was his job and his burden, but nothing more.

So..._that's_ why she's important to him...

And..._if_ it were there, he really could have just taken it out of her and ended this already, but there seemed to be a complication with that. That's why his men wanted to kill her...because they didn't care if she lived or died. They just wanted the jewel...but he was doing everything he could to keep her alive.

At least now she knew why he was trying to take such good care of her...she just wasn't sure she _believed_ it was there.

How would she have gotten a _jewel_ in her?

She had never had any surgeries, other than having her wisdom teeth removed...so, it's not like someone could have just _slipped_ that into her body.

It was a hard idea to wrap her head around.

Then again...here she was on a _spaceship_, so…

She leaned her head back against the door and closed her eyes.

It was possible this was all an excuse to just..._take_ her. He liked her. She had no idea why, but his attraction to her was becoming more and more obvious.

It was a pretty damn elaborate story if that was why he did it, though. And why talk to all of these people about her and the jewel? It just felt like more effort than it was worth to trick her.

So...if she were to assume that Inuyasha was telling her the truth about the jewel...and she _did_ have it in her...and he had _no choice_ but to get it...then...then _what_?

She was _fucked_, right? She was just going to have to get _cut up_ eventually to get this thing out of her?

She needed some fucking alcohol and to sort out her thoughts.

Maybe some ice cream, too. Why the hell not, right?

She stood back up and left the bathroom, drawing his attention to her. She watched his eyes widen when he saw her.

"I'm done, if you'd like to use it now," she told him, swinging her long black hair over her shoulder and pulling it all to one side and exposing the part of her neck with her birthmark. She felt his eyes instantly find it, and she tried to not let the intensity of his gaze bother her as he stared at her mark.

"No," he whispered, his eyes continuing to follow her every movement. She shrugged at his answer.

"What were you up to while I was getting cleaned up?" she asked him as she got her favorite white wine and ice cream from the sozo box.

"Catching up with a friend," he replied, still watching her. She walked to the couch and sat down, placing her wine on the floor as she tucked her legs up next to herself.

"How is your friend?"

"He...What?" Inuyasha asked with a hard blink.

"Your friend," she smiled softly. "How are they?"

"He's...fine. He had an emergency surgery that he had to perform today."

"How did it go?" she asked, digging into her ice cream.

"It went well. Is...what you're wearing...is that a common outfit on Earth?" he asked breathlessly, his tone surprising her.

"This?" she replied, her brows raising as she watched him swallow hard.

"Yes. You look very nice," he shyly complimented her. "It's very different from what we found you in."

"Thank you," she replied softly, glancing down at her ice cream and scraping a bit off of the top. "Yes, it's common...and yes, it is very different. I was wearing a birthday present from my mother when you found me. Women wear this to be comfortable...mostly around their houses."

"Really?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. "That's just for comfort?"

"Yeah," she shrugged. "I mean, I've worn stuff like this out in public before...but like I said, I mostly wear it around the house."

His eyes widened again at the mention of her wearing her outfit out in public before he closed them and shook his head, clenching his teeth so hard that she could see his jaw twitch.

"What's that look about?" she asked, raising her brow.

"Nothing," he quickly replied, looking away for a moment to compose himself again. "Do your people have lots of clothing options on Earth?" She nodded her head before attempting to explain the different types of clothing women wore and when and why. All throughout her explanation, he watched her and listened to her with rapt attention.

When she finally finished, she asked him why he was so interested. He explained that clothing wasn't used in the same way or to express themselves in his world. It was used as a way to quickly and easily identify a person's rank and position and importance.

"That doesn't sound fun," she commented off handedly before pressing her lips into a thin line and tilting her head to the side, and he shrugged.

"It's fine. It's what I'm used to. I know it's different on other planets."

"Do you want to try on some men's clothes from where I'm from? Since you're so curious about Earth and all..."

"Really?"

"Well...we don't have to—"

"—No! I would," he hastily confirmed. "That sounds like fun."

"Ok," she smiled, standing from the couch and putting her empty bowl of ice cream on the table. She picked up her glass of wine and walked over to the sozo box to ask it for a red t-shirt and a simple pair of black sweatpants. "Put these on," she instructed when they appeared. "Men wear this to be comfortable and to sleep in," she explained. He took the small pile of clothes, unfolding them slowly and examining them.

"This looks easy enough," he muttered as he began undoing his vest, and she turned around with a squeak when he took it off.

She was _not_ expecting him to do _that_.

"Kagome? Did I do something wrong?"

"No! It's fine...I think it's just a cultural difference. We normally don't get undressed in front of other people. Unless we have a reason to."

"Is trying this stuff on not a reason to?"

"Not with these clothes," she replied. She heard something fall to the floor, and his beads gently tapped together as he continued to change.

"What if I needed your help?" he asked, and she thought she heard a smile in his voice.

"Then you could ask me."

"So...isn't it just easier for me to do it here?" he asked as he touched her shoulder, signaling for her to turn around.

He had done just fine on his own and he was moving and flexing his arms, testing out the fabric and his mobility.

"I suppose, if you don't mind me seeing you change."

"I don't," he shrugged dismissively. "What do you think? Do I look like someone on Earth now?" he asked excitedly. "It's very soft and easy to move in," he remarked, bending down into a squat and kicking his leg out to the side. "Everything feels so loose - it's not restrictive at all!"

"Good," she giggled. "I'm glad you like it. It looks nice on you," she complimented, and he smiled back up at her.

"Thank you for sharing this with me, Kagome," he beamed, and she blushed at the look of joy and childlike wonder on his face.

"You're welcome."

"Would you share more with me?"

"How about tomorrow?" she asked, placing her wine glass down and leaning against the edge of the table. "I'm feeling a little drained and I think I might go to sleep."

"Tomorrow, then," he agreed. "Do you want or need anything before you go?"

"No...I'm alright," she reassured him. "Good night, Inuyasha."

"Good night, Kagome," he repeated softly in English with a thick accent.

* * *

"Kagome?"

"Ungh…"

"Kagome, wake up..."

"No…" she groaned, pushing away the hand gently touching her shoulder. "It's late. I'm tired. Go away…"

"Ok...I just think you might really want to see this," Inuyasha whispered, and she rolled over to glare at him in the dark room.

"See what?" she demanded, annoyance seeping into her words as he offered her a hand.

"Come with me?" he beckoned nervously as she scowled.

"Fine," she bit out, taking his hand. He gently pulled her up from his bed and led her out into the main room by the couch.

"Look," he grinned, positioning her in front of the windows.

"What am I looking at?" she groused as he placed his hand next to the button to defog them.

"This," he grinned, pushing the button. Her breath caught in her throat.

"Is that…?"

"A planet?"

She nodded her head, covering her mouth with her hands as red light flooded his small room. A large, red mass covered the entirety of the windows so that all she could see was the glowing red atmosphere and the hazy, beautiful mountains and craters of the craggy surface.

"It's the one closest to Earth," he confirmed, and she brought her hand to the window to trace the large, circular craters with her index finger through the clear material. "I told the captain to shift our course just a little so that we could pass it. I thought you might like to see it. What do you call it?"

"Mars," she whispered, and he tried the word. "It's beautiful," she whispered, completely transfixed. "I can't believe...do you know how many people on my planet have been able to see Mars this close before? I...Inuyasha…" she breathed, pressing her hand flat against the window. "This is incredible...so beautiful…"

"I agree," he breathed, and she turned to look at him. His eyes were full of warmth and happiness, and they were so soft and caring.

"I don't know what to say...Inuyasha, thank you. This is amazing."

He hesitantly moved his arm and gently took her hand, rubbing her knuckles with his thumb.

"You're welcome."

* * *

A/N:

As always…thank you to my amazing, wonderful, stupendous beta, Saucy Librarian for her amazing editing job! You are the wind beneath my wings, and I'd serenade you if I could but I'm doing us all a favor by just NOT.

Also…if you follow me on Tumblr, you might have caught the Easter Egg I tried to leave behind. Was I successful? Let me know! (And this is another reason why you should find me there – lemonlushff guys ;) )

AND speaking of Tumblr…Pretty sure my AN talking about the amazing art by Dezzidance got deleted in the great re-upload. I'm gonna reblog it so it's closer to the top, but check it out! I'm still in love with it.

Thank you as always to everyone who has read and reviewed, and sent a little love our way. It really and truly makes Saucy's and my day (because I of course share everything with her).

Next chapter goes live on Friday, Jan. 31! I'll also have more details about voting at Feudal Connection in case you would like to show this story a little love there too! Voting starts TOMORROW, and Sauce and I are up for best AU/AR!

See you all Friday!

-Lemon Lush

* * *

A/Rs

To Lola1991: I know right? Where can I buy one of those...Thanks as always for sending a little love our way, and I hope you enjoy this newest chapter!

To Guest: And I love love love love love love love love love love you and your review! Thank you so much! Keep being amazing :D


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

* * *

Chapter 8

"Well? What do you think? Is it good?" Kagome asked as Inuyasha chewed on a piece of bacon generously provided to them by the sozo box.

"It's incredible!" he beamed, taking another bite. She couldn't help but grin at the pure, childlike joy on his face. "This is the best thing I've ever eaten!"

"I'm glad," she giggled as he wolfed down the rest, practically licking the plate when he was done. "You know, you can always have more..." she grinned, and he reddened in embarrassment.

"I shouldn't...but that was wonderful, Kagome. Thank you for sharing that with me," he grinned, placing the plate and utensils back into the sozo box so that it could break it down on a molecular level and reabsorb the parts it needed for future creations.

"You're welcome," she smiled softly, finishing her bacon and eggs.

She had wanted to make an effort to be nicer to him - not that she had been _mean_ to him, per say...but she wanted to try and start changing her inner monologue about him. At least a _little_.

He was kind. He was keeping her safe. He was (apparently) keeping her _alive_.

He deserved more kindness from her, especially after last night. He had made an effort to show her something amazing...something she knew he would be in worlds of trouble for doing, but he had done it anyway.

For her.

Sharing the joys of bacon and eggs was the least she could do...but he seemed to love _everything_ she did and shared with him, no matter what it was.

He would have made a great explorer. He had this unshakable, wonderful curiosity and joy in learning about new things and different worlds.

She placed her empty plates in the box with his and pressed the button he had showed her to use to make everything disappear, and she noticed him watching her with pride.

He seemed to like that she was getting used to some of the joys of being on the ship...and she had to admit that not having to do dishes _was_ wonderful.

"Well...if it's alright with you, I think I'm going to change," she decided, smoothing her hands along the hem of her shirt. He nodded, biting his lip.

"Would you wait a bit?" he requested nervously. "I'm expecting a call from my father soon, and I don't want him to see you," he admitted. She raised a brow in surprise.

"Why? Are you ashamed of me?"

"No! I...I…"

"It's alright, Inuyasha," she giggled. "I'm sure you have a good reason to hide me from him."

"I do," he whispered, looking down and playing with the edge of the red t-shirt she had given him the night before.

"I'm glad you like this," she commented, changing the subject and gently grabbing his hand before his worrying fingers could poke a hole in the fabric. "It does look good on you."

"Of course I like it...you gave it to me," he replied bashfully, and she released his hand with a gentle squeeze as the wall with the sozo box started flashing green.

"Shit...he's early," Inuyasha swore under his breath.

"It makes sense. You pushed him off four times already," she shrugged, and he nodded before stilling.

Fuck.

He hadn't told her that.

And it looked like he just realized that as well.

"Kagome...give me the translator, please," he asked, holding his hand out as the wall continued to flash.

"What? Why?"

"This is a sensitive conversation that I need to have with him, and I don't want to be overheard," he told her bluntly. "The translator, Kagome. Please," he finished more softly this time, and she scanned his face before relenting and handing him the translator. He actually looked worried, which made her feel worried, too. She had a bad feeling about this call.

"Thank you," he sighed before sending her off into the closed off bedroom and switching off the translator.

She heard him say something she assumed to be the command to answer the call, and she cracked the door open just enough to peak out and see what was happening.

A large, imposing man flashed onto the screen. Inuyasha immediately crossed his arms over his chest as he dropped to a knee and lowered his head, uttering a greeting of some sort.

She had to admit...Inuyasha did seem to get his looks from his father. The man had the same silver locks and golden eyes, and he shared nearly identical facial features with his son. The similarities seemed to stop there, however. He had elf-like ears instead of Inuyasha's much cuter dog-like ones, and a frayed navy blue stripe appeared on each of his cheekbones...although she supposed that could have been some kind of makeup.

Touga replied to Inuyasha, presumably telling him to stand. He did so before continuing their conversation. Inuyasha looked down at his shirt and held it out before looking back up at the image of his father and whispered something. Touga seemed displeased, and he made a harsh sounding reply that caused Inuyasha to hang his head.

Kagome watched as he slowly and unwillingly tugged off his shirt and then his pants, tossing them to the side. Her breath hitched, and she averted her gaze with a blush. She wanted to spy on him, but _not_ in that way...even though she did rather enjoy what she had seen. She was pretty sure the image of his muscles moving under his skin would be ingrained into her memory for the rest of her life.

She couldn't help but wonder...had she had gotten him into trouble for his clothes?

She hadn't meant to - that was the last thing she wanted to happen.

She found that thought surprising. She hadn't realized that she even cared if he were in trouble or not...but the idea distressed her.

When she hesitantly brought herself to look back out, she saw that he had shrugged back into the military looking clothing he had worn the day before and was buttoning his vest back up.

His father continued berating him, and she watched Inuyasha cup the necklace he wore now - the one he willingly subjected himself to just so she would have some peace of mind and feel safe around him.

His father's anger seemed to increase and Inuyasha yelled back at him, clenching the beads in his hands until his knuckles turned white. His father roughly stood, slamming his hands down onto the table near him. Inuyasha jumped.

Touga was flat out screaming at Inuyasha, and she watched his ears flatten to his head from the sheer volume of his father's words. He released the beads and balled his hands into fists, looking down at the ground. Everything went silent.

She rapidly glanced back and forth between the video of Touga and Inuyasha until finally she heard him whisper one word: "Kikyo."

Touga let out a long and weary sigh before sitting back down, eyeing his son carefully.

"Kikyo," he repeated disbelievingly, and Inuyasha nodded.

"Kagome," he seemed to correct, or further explain. She felt her stomach begin to twist into knots. They were fighting about her?

The conversation seemed to take a calmer turn as they discussed her, and she watched Inuyasha pull a small glass screen from the cabinet and activate it. A small light shone out of it, creating an interface of some sort. He began pressing buttons and swiping at the images it projected until he found something that looked like a high tech x-ray. He enlarged it and made a large, sweeping motion with his hands so that the image showed up on the screen next to his father.

It looked like an x-ray of someone's chest cavity. As they talked, they zoomed in more and more on the person's heart. During their continued conversation, Inuyasha made more gestures with his hands until only the heart was left on the screen - and in the center, completely encapsulated by tissue, was a large, circular object.

Was that...was that supposed to be _her_ heart?

No.

No way.

She didn't have a mass in her heart! That wasn't possible!

The men continued to talk as she silently began to panic. She flat out refused to believe that they were looking at her heart. She didn't care what she had overheard Inuyasha say to Miroku the night before.

This was her fucking _heart_! There was _no goddamn way in hell_ she had a mass in it.

She had to be losing her mind.

Yeah.

That was it.

Because anything else? Accepting this as the truth?

That was unfathomable.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and she tried to focus on the exchange occurring between the two men in the other room instead. That would take her mind off of the _thing_ in her _heart_...right?

Inuyasha removed the images from the screen, and Touga leaned back in his chair. He was silent for a moment before sternly saying something that made Inuyasha pale.

He shook his head vigorously in response, and Touga continued in a pacifying tone.

Inuyasha shook his head again, his eyes hardening. Touga squared his shoulders as Inuyasha continued on some pent up, anxiety filled rant that he had clearly been wanting to get off of his chest. His father remained silent, allowing him to say his piece. When he finally finished with a snarl, his whole body trembled and shook with emotion.

When Touga eventually replied, Inuyasha paled again. His tone was begging, but Touga sounded firm as Inuyasha seemed to hang his head in defeat.

He dropped to his hands and knees, his clawed fingers digging into the hard tile below as he appeared to literally beg his father for something.

She assumed Touga told him to rise, because he slowly stood back up again. He then tilted his head to the side, whimpering.

Submitting.

She remembered that from yesterday.

Was he giving up his plight?

Touga continued on, and she saw Inuyasha's eyes widen as a look of hope washed over his face. He nodded as his father appeared to ask him something, and Inuyasha turned bright red before nodding. His father asked him something else, and he shook his head in the negative.

Finally, she heard Touga say her name again, and Inuyasha paled as he stammered out a response. His father was silent for a moment, but he seemed to accept his reply. Inuyasha dropped back down to one knee and crossed his arms over his chest again as he ended his call with his father.

Slowly, he stood back up and slumped down onto the couch, resting his head in his hands. After a moment, she opened the door and slowly took a few steps towards him. She saw his ears flick over towards her direction, letting her know that he knew she was there...but he didn't say anything to her.

She hesitantly approached him and kneeled down between his knees, cupping his face.

"Inuyasha?" she whispered as he continued to squeeze his eyes shut. "Inuyasha?" she tried again, and he finally opened his glossy eyes.

"Kagome," he replied, his voice thick and heavy. "Anata*…"

"Inuyasha...I don't understand…" she replied. He smiled softly, seemingly knowing what she had said.

"Anata…" he said again, cupping her face and gently rubbing her cheekbone as his eyes brimmed with emotion. "Shi haana ta koishii shippai shima sen**."

"Inuyasha...I can't...I don't…"

He released her and stood up, breaking away from her so that he could find the translator and turn it back on.

It emitted a blue light for a moment before it disappeared, the same as before.

Inuyasha placed the translator back down on the table, and his posture slumped.

"So, Kagome...do you want to tell me how much you really know about everything?"

* * *

*Anata - suuuuper old school word for wife.

** Shi haana ta koishii shippai shima sen - "I won't fail you, darling"

* * *

A/N:

You don't know how long I've wanted to post this chapter…And it feels GOOD to finally have it up! Thank you Saucy Librarian for putting the finishing touches on it – you're a Goddess amongst us and I LOVE YOU!

And I also love everyone who has taken a moment to read and review this story! You help make me feel like people are really into this crazy lil' fic of mine and I appreciate it.

And if you'd like to show your appreciation in another way…_**VOTING HAS STARTED**_! If you like the work that Saucy and I do, I would encourage you to take a second to head over to Feudal Connection on Tumblr, and vote for us! It's the second post on their page (_**AND YOU DON'T NEED A TUMBLR TO PARTICIPATE!**_) Saucy and I are up for Best AU/AR, and there are SO MANY other amazing stories that you should vote for / read that are up for awards too! You can also do:

tiny

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com

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rbckmsm

Was that cryptic enough for you? LOL! Sorry - FFN has weird rules about that stuff...I'll try and also put the URL in my profile! I seem to struggle with that though...

Saucy and I are going to keep with the double posting between now and the end of voting, AND SHE ALREADY HAS CHAPTER 9 DONE (she's a serious ROCKSTAR), so the next chapter _**will**_ go **up Tuesday, February 4****th****!**

See you then!

-Lemon Lush

* * *

A/Rs (in order of received):

Guest 1: Thank you! I love that I'm constantly leaving you wanting more! Thanks for leaving us a little love on this fic :)

Guest 2: THANK YOU! I'm thrilled you're loving it that much! Thanks for your awesome review!

InuLuver: BAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Don't worry...give it time ;). I thought we could use a little fluff before all the stuff I'm about to throw at you guys. MUAHAHAHA! Thanks for being amazing a dropping a review!

Guest 3: Unfortunately no...but she beamed when she read your review! She wanted me to tell you that she's just a professional reader (she really is a librarian!) and she enjoys editing, but she leaves the story telling to other people. Thank you for showing her a little love and asking about her! You really made her day :D

Guest 4: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope this past chapter helped make it extra special :)


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

* * *

Chapter 9

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied as he calmly turned around to face her head on.

"Forgive me if I don't believe you...but I know how sensitive this thing is," he smiled weakly, pointing to the translator. "It's been a while since I've had to use one, and certain things clearly slipped my mind. I _know_ you've overheard quite a bit, at this point. So...I'll ask again. How much do you know?"

"Seeing as you think it's right to keep things from me, why should I tell you? Seems only fair, wouldn't you say?"

"A lot happened yesterday," he weakly explained, and she shook her head at his pitiful excuse.

"So that makes it ok to lie to me?" she demanded, and he lowered his ears in response. "You could have taken me back to Earth at any point, Inuyasha - don't pretend that you couldn't have. You took me with you not because I'm some liability...but because I have the jewel."

He lowered his eyes, and that confirmed everything for her.

"God...I'm right, aren't I?"

"Yes," he whispered, looking back up at her. "You are. It's inside of you, and I had no choice but to retrieve it."

"So kidnapping me was the solution?" she snapped, and he pressed his lips into a thin line.

"It was, because at least now I have a chance at keeping you alive! The jewel is in the center of your heart. There is no way to get the jewel without killing you, and I wasn't about to let that happen."

"Why? You don't even know me!"

His breath hitched in his throat, and she watched him close his eyes as he clenched and unclenched his fists. It looked like he had a retort ready on his lips...like he was about to tell her something that he shouldn't. He quickly schooled himself and checked his composure.

"So I should just kill an innocent person because I don't know them?"

"It's certainly easier than whatever it is you're trying to do now."

"I'm trying to keep you _alive_. That's what I'm trying to do. Now that we found it, do you think we would just let it go because it's inside your heart? Say 'Oh ok. Our mistake. Let's go find another one to use instead!'?

_No!_

This is _the_ one, Kagome...and the people I'm with won't give a fuck where it is inside you. They don't care if they spill your blood to get it, and it's not right!

You didn't ask for this, and neither did I! So, if I can only save one of us from this fucking thing, I'm _gonna save you_. I don't care how hard it is. I don't care how many doctors I have to consult with or what I have to do.

_I'm not going to let you let you die!_

That's the whole fucking reason I did this. Taking you is keeping you alive. Keeping you with _me _is keeping you alive."

"Don't you think I had a right to know?" she hissed, his impassioned speech making her heart race.

"Did you want that kind of stress put on you after what you woke up to yesterday? You were barely keeping it together then. Forgive me if I didn't want to burden you with everything all at once," he snapped snidely.

"Then when would you have 'burdened' me with the truth, huh? Right before you marched me into the operating room? What makes you think I'll even agree to surgery?"

"Because the alternative is that it gets ripped out of you, along with your heart," he replied lowly. "Refusing surgery is the same thing as choosing death."

"And what if I refuse both? Why can't that be an option?"

"It's not. One way or another, that thing is going to come out of you - I'm just the only one who gives a damn if you live afterwards."

Kagome slumped down onto the couch, placing her head into her hands and closing her eyes and trying to get the maelstrom of emotions swirling in her chest under control. This couldn't be real. This all had to be one giant cosmic joke. There was no way she had this _thing_ in her heart.

No.

Way.

It just wasn't possible.

She saw a shadow slowly fall over her and she felt him crouch down between her knees, gently cupping her face in his large hands. It felt nice...why did this feel nice?

"I'm sorry, Kagome. I am. I wish this were happening to _anyone _else..._anyone_ other than you. But it's not, and I'm so sorry for that. I wish it were me."

"Why?" she finally whispered hoarsely, looking down at him through eyes brimming with unshed tears tears. "Why is it me? How did I even get this fucking thing in me?"

He looked up at her, his eyes flickering back to hers and away again before he sighed and released her face.

"The jewel is like a pearl that your soul has created. It's the physical manifestation of some great pain that has happened to it, and it found a way to purge the evil from itself as an act of survival. It might not have happened to _you_...it might have happened to you in a past life...but it happened nonetheless."

"So now you're telling me that reincarnation is real, too?" she laughed disbelievingly, dismissing him.

"Yes," he told her quite seriously, "I am."

"There's only so much bullshit I can really believe at once, Inuyasha," she replied in a whoosh, shaking her head and rubbing the tears from her cheeks as they fell.

"I can't change what you choose to believe - I can only provide you with the truth."

She slumped back on the couch, leaning her head back to stare at the ceiling.

"It's hard to believe. Everyone faces great pain at some point in their life. Why would my soul create this 'pearl'? Wouldn't everyone be able to?"

"Not everyone's soul is strong enough," he explained softly. "And not everyone has endured as much pain as yours."

"How would you know how much pain I have endured?" she demanded, and a look of complete and utter devastation flashed across his face before he shook his head.

"You have the jewel in you. That's how I know," he whispered, and she could tell that there was more that he was hiding. Again.

"You know more than you are telling me."

"I—"

The wall with the sozo box began flashing blue, and he swore.

"I'm sorry - I'm running late. We can talk more when I get back, I promise."

"Where are you going?" she demanded as he stood up and began changing. She averted her eyes, still in disbelief that he was so comfortable doing this in front of her.

"I have to meet with someone for training. I'll be back as soon as I'm done, though," he promised, coming to stand in front of her once he was fully clothed again. She looked back up at him and took in his appearance. He was wearing what could best be described as workout clothes, and he had pulled his long silver hair up into a top knot that was much like his father's. He wore a strange, black, sleeveless turtleneck that was made of a spandex-like material that completely exposed the tops of his shoulders, and part of his sides and chest. He also wore tight pants that clung to every muscle of his powerful legs and thighs.

"That's a different look," she commented, and he smiled smally as he knelt down.

"It is," he agreed. "I won't be gone long - no more than an hour and a half at the most. Remember...don't open the door for anyone, and _don't_ leave."

"So...I'm trapped like a rat?"

"You're safe," he countered, shaking his head as the wall began flashing again. "Promise me you'll stay here?"

"Fine."

Yeah. Right.

She was going to find her way off this fucking ship.

* * *

A/N:

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA! Oh, you mean you thought he was going to tell her everything this chapter?! It's almost like we don't know me!

Quick things to note - I realize that in the great chapter re-uploading, I got rid of the note saying that for the purposes of this story,** I'm using Japanese as the alien language**. I'm doing it because I'm not a linguist, and because it's fun to drop little hints like "Ananta" and you guys just automatically know what that means. Kagome will be clueless, and she's going to be speaking English in this. It was a creative choice, and I'm sticking by it :).

Quick shout out to Wenchster and YangireSenpai

And if you'd like to show your appreciation in another way…_**VOTING HAS STARTED**_! If you like the work that Saucy and I do, I would encourage you to take a second to head over to Feudal Connection on Tumblr, and vote for us! It's the second post on their page (_**AND YOU DON'T NEED A TUMBLR TO PARTICIPATE!**_) Saucy and I are up for Best AU/AR, and there are SO MANY other amazing stories that you should vote for / read that are up for awards too! You can also do:

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	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

* * *

Chapter 10

As soon as Inuyasha left, Kagome cleaned herself up, grabbed the translator, had the sozo box make her a duplicate key for his room in case she needed to get back in, and snuck out of his room. If she was destined to die, then she wasn't going to go down without a fight.

Not that she believed the bullshit he was dishing out.

Sure, she had dealt with pain in her life before...but not enough to create this _pearl of despair_ in her heart.

She didn't know how stupid he thought she was, but it was complete and utter bullshit and she didn't believe a word of it. She also didn't know what he hoped to gain by lying to her like that.

Get into her pants, perhaps?

Please.

Never gonna happen.

Forget changing her inner dialogue about him - if he was going to pull this shit, she didn't care if he was presenting himself as this knight in shining armor figure. It was all crap!

However...she wasn't going to clear her head if she kept dwelling on this.

She shook her head and began walking down the corridor in search of something to help her escape the ship.

It reminded her of a very modern hotel hallway - gray walls with numerous doors that had a glowing light around it. There were characters on the front of each door which she couldn't read, but she assumed that they were identifiers of some sort. Perhaps numbers? Or names? It was hard to say.

At the end of the long hallway, she found what appeared to be an elevator and pushed a button that seemed to indicate "down". Once she got on, she pushed another random button as the doors slowly closed. She felt the small box jerk down, and she began her descent. This continued until it came to a stop, and she exited the box after the doors had opened again.

She must have found a mess hall of sorts. It was teaming with people sitting down at tables with trays of food, and the walls were covered with sozo boxes. Everyone wore similarly styled clothing to Inuyasha's, but no one else wore red.

Interesting.

She couldn't help but wonder if perhaps that was because he was "royal" - he seemed to be more important than most, at least.

She also noticed that no one else had anything like his silver hair and golden eyes...and he was certainly the only person with the ears. Everyone else had facial markings, too - be it stripes or moons or oddly placed triangles on their cheeks. They either had a weird way of expressing themselves through makeup, or they were actually a part of their bodies.

A small group of people walked by her, completely oblivious to her presence. She proceeded to followed them, trying to blend in as they made their way across the mess hall and out the door on the other side and into another hallway. She had almost cleared the door when a claw-tipped hand reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

Shit.

Inuyasha was about to ream her for leaving.

"Well...I haven't seen you around here before. What's your name?" a cool voice greeted.

Definitely not Inuyasha.

She turned around and greeted the man with a warm smile. He was attractive. Admittedly, not as attractive as Inuyasha was...but he was still enjoyable to look at. Besides, what did that matter? And why was comparing him to Inuyasha her first instinct?

He had short, brown hair and green eyes, and he wore a matching green inverted triangle that was plastered in the middle of his forehead. She couldn't help but passively wonder what the markings meant.

"Who's asking?" she purred, and he smirked.

"Now...that doesn't feel very fair. I asked you first."

"Yes...but my mother raised me to not talk to strangers," she replied, and his smile widened.

"Well...maybe we can fix that."

"Yes. I think we can."

* * *

The man, she soon learned, was Haruto. He was the fourth son of Hinata, and he was an absolute delight. Yes...he was distracting her from her current plan to find a pod, but she also thought that if she could gain his trust, then maybe he would take her to one willingly - maybe to go on a little space cruise. When he took her to the pod, she'd just have to knock him out and she would be on her way.

It was a hazy plan, but it was all she had to work with.

Besides...he _was_ an absolute delight. He brought her to the arboretum and explained that it was used not just for research, but for recreation as well. It's hard to spend months on end in space - sometimes even years - and some people needed the arboretum to help mentally reset themselves.

He, on the other hand, simply thought that it was a good place to become better acquainted with "a lovely woman".

As his current _lovely woman_, she wasn't really all that interested in getting acquainted. She was only half listening to him while still desperately trying to plot her escape and take her mind off of Inuyasha. However, it was harder to forget him than she would have liked...even with Haruto to distract her.

Sure, she was enjoying herself...the man was smooth and charming and funny and attractive…

Yet, she still found herself thinking about Inuyasha.

What game was he trying to play with her? She just couldn't figure it out...but he _had _to be playing a game with her. He just _had_ to be.

It didn't matter though, did it? Not if she wasn't planning on sticking around.

Kagome watched as Haruto picked a flower and stuck it in her hair behind her ear.

"Beautiful," he smiled warmly.

"It is," she agreed, and he shook his head with a laugh.

"I wasn't talking about that flower," he teased, making her blush. "Tell me," he whispered, taking her hand and pulling her closer, "why is it I've never seen such a lovely flower before?"

"I don't know - you make it sound like you come here quite a bit," she smirked, pulling away from him and trying to ignore the voice inside telling her that she really shouldn't be here with him. What would Inuyasha say? What would he think, if he knew? Why did she feel like she was betraying him?

She pushed those thoughts aside and continued to lead Haruto down the path and through a door into another biosphere. This newest one was very reminiscent of a rainforest, whereas the last one reminded her of a beautiful garden.

She needed to get those thoughts out of her head. She needed Haruto to show her where the pods were. Inuyasha wasn't a part of this equation.

"Perhaps...but never with someone as lovely as you. Where have you been staying?" he pressed, and she laughed.

"Are you trying to get invited back to my place already?" she teased, and he gave her a very hungry look as they found the waterfall.

"I don't need to be invited back," he replied, catching up to her. "The foliage is quite thick here…"

"Mmm...but I prefer to be wooed before running off into the trees."

"Then woo you, I shall. Come and have dinner with me tonight?" he asked hopefully, and she bit her lip nervously.

Inuyasha wouldn't like that...but why did she care?

Besides, this worked with her plan.

"Tonight," she agreed, and Haruto broke out into a brilliant smile.

Suddenly, a loud beep sounded throughout the arboretum and caused her to jump.

"Are you alright?" he laughed, placing a hand on her lower back.

"Yeah...what was that?"

"The top of the hour," he replied with a tilt of his head.

"I need to go," she sighed. "Care to walk me back to my quarters?"

"Happily."

* * *

"Thank you for the tour of the arboretum," she smiled.

"You're most welcome," he murmured, lifting her hand to his lips. "I'll come by at 6?"

"I look forward to it," she confirmed, pushing her hair behind her ear as she bid him farewell. She then tried the key she had made to open the door.

The light around the door flashed red and made an error-like beep.

Hmm...not a good sign.

She tried again and received the same result.

Shit.

She tried one more time and was denied again before the door opened...and a very sweaty, very _angry_ Inuyasha was standing on the other side.

"Welcome back," he smiled tightly, his arms crossed over his chest.

"She came back?" a voice from inside called, and Inuyasha nodded his head.

"Yeah," he replied, regarding her with a hard eye before stepping out of the doorway.

"See? I told you not to worry…" the man chided, and Inuyasha shot him a warning look as Kagome entered.

She recognized that man - he was the same one who had stopped by the day before.

"Where did you go?" Inuyasha asked, his voice strained with the effort of trying not to yell at her.

"Not sure," she shrugged. "Out? Around? I decided that if I'm going to die anyway, I'm going to roll the dice and live a little."

A low, rumbling growl emitted from Inuyasha at that comment. His friend stood up from the table and came to stand beside him. He placed a hand onto his shoulder and squeezed, trying to get him to calm down.

"She's fine," he soothed. "Isn't that what's important?"

Inuyasha only glared at him and clenched his fists at his sides.

"This time," he hissed. "Next time, she might not be! Damnit, Kagome...I told you to stay here!" he snarled, rounding on her.

"I don't want to stay here! I don't want to be imprisoned for the last few months of my life!"

"You aren't being imprisoned! I'm keeping you safe!"

"Of course you see it that way...you're the one wanting to keep me locked up in here!"

"_To keep you safe!_"

"From what?"

"Inuyasha…" the man beside him cautioned, squeezing his shoulder again. "Why don't you listen to what she's trying to tell you instead of berating her. You might discover that you actually have some common ground."

Kagome watched him clench and unclench his hands again a few times as he took a deep breath. His lips set into a thin line, and he rolled his shoulders back as he seemed to mull over his friend's words.

"Why did you leave?" he finally asked. His tone was softer than it had been, but she could still hear the restraint in his voice.

"I didn't want to stay here," she sighed, explaining it to him again.

"Yes, but why? Are you just curious about the ship? I can show you around—"

"—I don't want to spend all of my time with just you," she replied, and his eyes widened in pain before he closed them and took a deep breath.

"Alright - so you want some space from me, and you don't want to stay in here...is that it?"

"I'd like that, yeah."

"Then Koga can show you around—"

"—Why can't I go on my own?"

"We're trying to find a compromise, remember?" he asked stiffly. "I want to keep you safe. You want freedom. Koga," he continued, nodding his head towards his friend, "is our compromise."

"I don't like it."

"Good - neither do I."

"It's not going to work," she insisted, shaking her head. "I met someone," she smiled softly, and she saw Inuyasha's mouth open slightly in shock.

"You...you what?" he whispered. He sounded positively crushed.

"I met someone. We're going out tonight," she proclaimed, and he closed his eyes.

"No."

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"I mean you aren't courting this random person!" he snapped, and she took a step back.

"_Excuse me?_ What gives you the right to tell me not to see him?!"

"Because I'm your—"

"—What he means to say," Koga interrupted, digging his claws into Inuyasha's shoulder so hard that he sucked in his breath from the pain, "is that he would perhaps feel more comfortable if he knew who you were seeing."

"Why does _he_ need to feel comfortable about this at all?" she demanded.

"Because I—"

"—he simply cares about your well-being, is all." Koga interrupted again, and Inuyasha shot him a warning growl.

"I can speak for myself," he hissed.

"You aren't doing a very good job of it right now," Koga scowled. "I understand why you're angry," he whispered just loud enough for her translator to pick up, pacifying Inuyasha. "I know I would be livid, too. But try to see this from her side. She doesn't _know_, Inuyasha. Give her this...it will make her happy. Isn't that what you told me you wanted?"

She watched him turn and stare at her for a long, hard minute as he pursed his lips in thought. "Fine…" he finally sighed, casting his gaze downwards. "Then what would you suggest?"

Koga glanced back and forth between the pair.

"Kagome...who did you say this man was?"

"I didn't," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "His name is Haruto."

"Haruto..." Koga replied with a head tilt. "Brown hair? Green triangle on his forehead? That Haruto?"

"Yes."

"Absolutely _not!_" Inuyasha nearly screamed.

Koga stomped on Inuyasha's toes, making him yelp and pick up his foot as he rubbed his toes in pain.

"How wonderful...I'm sure you'll have a lovely time tonight. Just be aware that he has a reputation for being a bit..._handsy_."

"I'm aware," she smirked, staring into Inuyasha's eyes as his ire continued to rise.

"Well...I'm sure you know everything you need to, then," he replied with a strained smile. "For Inuyasha's peace of mind, would you consent to taking something with you? It's a small device. If things get to be too much or you find yourself in a concerning situation, all you have to do is press a button and we will know where you are. We will come and get you immediately."

"Fine," she relented. This wasn't a major ask. She could do this...and if it gave her more freedom to explore the ship and look for the pod...

"Wonderful!" Koga beamed. "Isn't that wonderful, Inuyasha?" Koga asked through gritted teeth.

"Wonderful," he growled, and Koga went to the sozo box to get her the tracker. She couldn't take her eyes off of Inuyasha...the hurt and anger and betrayal he felt was absolutely palpable. What surprised her, however, was that she found it upsetting. It was like her gut was telling her to call off her date with Haruto and soothe Inuyasha...which made absolutely no sense.

Why did she care how he felt?

Why did seeing him so hurt...well...hurt?

Whatever.

It didn't matter.

His feelings weren't important when her life was on the line. She needed to get out of here...and that meant going on this date.

Koga returned with the tracker and showed her how to use it...and even though she _was_ paying attention to him, she found herself paying more attention to Inuyasha.

Really.

It was just a date.

Why was he reacting so strongly to this?

He needed to get over himself.

"Why don't you give it a try?" Koga asked, and Kagome sighed. She pushed the button he had showed her to press. It wasn't hard. It's not like she had to type in a code or anything.

"Good," Koga nodded. "Inuyasha, why don't we get out of Kagome's hair?"

She looked back up at him, and he nodded.

"Great idea. I think I need to go back to the arena with you," he replied, and Koga winced.

"Fine...just take it easy on me…" he grumbled.

This time, he didn't bother asking her to stay put...and she didn't know how she felt about that.

* * *

A/N:

Sorry for the delayed update – crazy day! Thanks as always to Saucy for the edits!

House keeping: If you like the work that Saucy and I do, I would encourage you to take a second to head over to Feudal Connection on Tumblr, and vote for us! It's the second post on their page (_**AND YOU DON'T NEED A TUMBLR TO PARTICIPATE!**_) Saucy and I are up for Best AU/AR, and there are SO MANY other amazing stories that you should vote for / read that are up for awards too! You can also do:

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**Quick reminder about the "Ask Me Anything" I'm doing. It's tomorrow, Saturday 2/8, from 12pm EST until Sunday 12 pm EST.** Feel free to submit questions about this story, and I'll answer them! YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE A TUMBLR TO PARTICIPATE!

I AM going to respond to all of your wonderful reviews, I promise, but I'm gonna have to do it tomorrow. Guest reviews will be up before the AMA tomorrow! Just poor time management this week. I'M SORRY! They do mean the world to me though, and I squeal like a toddler whenever I get an email about them, so don't think I don't appreciate it!

Next chapter goes live Tuesday **2/11! **See you then (or at the AMA!)

-Lemon Lush


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

* * *

Chapter 11

The tension when Inuyasha returned was palpable.

She had been laying on the couch trying to create a plan. She had also been trying to sort through her emotions and the strange feelings she had started to feel in regards to him when she heard the door to his room whoosh open. He was completely drenched in sweat, and he had taken his work out top off altogether. His hair had been let down and silvery tendrils clung to his damp face, neck, and shoulders. She watched his still slightly flushed chest move with each breath he took, his color slowly returning to normal after the exertion of his workout. She sat up as he stepped through the doorway just enough to allow the doors to close behind him and then he paused, looking at her.

His eyes were swirling with so many different emotions - hurt, betrayal, disappointment, and exhaustion just to name a few...but what surprised her the most was the _fear_.

What did he have to be afraid of? It was just a date.

He silently regarded her for a few more minutes, and she couldn't help but wonder if he was going to _say_ something or if the plan was to just stare at her.

When it became _painfully_ apparent that he was going to remain silent, she sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. If he was going to stare at her stoically, then she was going to do the same.

Everything else aside, she had to maintain that he was a _very_ attractive man - and not just due to his unique features. His facial features were striking...they were strong and sharp and defined. His brows were thick...not in an unruly way, but in a way that framed his golden eyes perfectly. His upper body was...in a word..._defined_. She allowed her eyes to travel down from his face to his shoulders, chest, and arms. They rippled under his skin, telling her of their silent and lethal power.

She wondered what it would be like to run her fingers down his slick chest.

His nose flared and his brows rose - it was as if he could somehow read her thoughts, and she sat up straighter.

How had her mind taken her down _that_ path? That was the last thing she should be thinking about...and with _him_, no less. She was angry with him, remember? He was keeping her holed up in here while he took her to some unknown land to have her _heart_ removed. He was feeding her lie after lie after lie…

Noticing how attractive he was...that's not something she should be doing.

Besides - she had a date later, right? So she could escape?

"I'm going to shower," he finally said, moving away from the entrance and towards the sozo box. He tossed his shirt inside and pressed a button. It was gone in an instant, and he then replaced it with duplicates of the red military outfit only he seemed to be allowed to wear. He grabbed the gear and entered the bathroom, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Why was she reacting so strongly to him?

She had met attractive men before...it wasn't like he was the only one in the whole universe. Yet, she was _definitely_ acting like he _was_ \- she was reacting to him in ways she absolutely shouldn't be.

She moaned and leaned her head back, smacking it against the wall behind her with a loud thump.

She groaned and leaned forward again, rubbing the back of her head as her eyes landed on the sozo box again. She sighed as her thoughts turned back to how happy he had been when she had given him that simple pair of sweatpants and t-shirt. She was stuck living with him until she found a way off this ship…

She should try to make things right - or more civil, at least.

She stood from the couch and went to the sozo box, asking it for another pair of sweatpants and a red t-shirt just as she had the day before. Satisfied, she bit the inside of her lip and went to the bathroom, placing her hand on the door and opening it just enough to slip inside. The sound of running water instantly greeted her ears as the door opened, and she kept her eyes to the floor as steam floated out of the room towards her.

She had just wanted to surprise him - simply place the clothes on the counter by the sink and leave.

Easy peasy.

She quickly entered, hearing him muttering something bitterly under his breath as he showered. She tiptoed quietly over to the sink, dropping the clothes on the counter.

"Anata?"

Crap.

Kagome turned around towards the sound without thinking, and then promptly turned back around when her eyes took in his chest as she was reminded of his nudity.

She barely heard his bitter exhale above the spray of the shower head as she moved back toward the door.

"Anata!" he called more firmly, halting her as he turned off the shower.

She really shouldn't be here. She was crazy. She could have done any number of things other than this…

"Anata…" he breathed, and she felt him place a hand on her shoulder. Kagome jumped - she hadn't been expecting that.

"Kagome, why…here..." he asked thickly in English, and she spun around suddenly in surprise. She hadn't been expecting that either.

"You're learning English?"

He furrowed his brow in thought as if he were looking for the right words, but in the end, he simply nodded.

"Why?"

He shifted his eyes downward and blushed, either unwilling or unable to respond to her.

"Why you here, Anata?" he asked again, and she reached back over to the sink and picked up the small pile of clothes. He tilted his head in a questioning expression.

"For you," she tried to explain, holding out the clothes for him.

"Mine?" he asked softly, and she nodded her head as he gingerly reached out to take them from her. She did her best to keep her eyes on his necklace and not let them wander anywhere else.

"I...thank...you," he replied slowly in his thick accent, and she risked looking up to his face. His expression held none of the anger and bitterness it had before. Instead, it was soft...warm...caring, even. What surprised her the most, however, was the clear longing in his eyes.

"You're welcome," she replied and promptly turned to go, but was immediately stopped by his hand on her shoulder again.

"Anata?" he asked, making her turn around. She briefly noticed that he had wrapped a towel around his waist, and she internally let out a sigh of relief.

"Yes?"

"Come?" he asked, tilting his head towards the shower and she gasped, sputtering and backing away from him.

He wasn't...no way…

Inuyasha broke out into a loud laugh, and she relaxed.

Good. He wasn't. He was just playing around with her…

...yet, as he sent her on her way with a nod towards the door, she couldn't help but feel like he would have welcomed her with open arms if she had reacted differently.

* * *

Kagome turned around in front of the bathroom mirror a few times to give herself a once-over. She was wearing a yellow, flowered sundress with pockets and had pulled her hair up and away from her neck. She had a simple blue sweater on the table in the other room where Inuyasha was sitting and scowling.

He had maintained a relatively decent mood after his shower after emerging wearing the clothes she had given him...until she had decided that it was time to start getting ready to meet with Haruto. He had instantly soured and made it _all too clear_ that he was not happy with her decision.

She looked herself over one more time and decided that she was pleased with her appearance. She couldn't keep stalling - she had to leave eventually and face Inuyasha again.

She opened the door and was greeted with the _pleasant _sight of him sitting cross legged on the couch, arm propped up on the side and his head resting on his fist. The sound of the door opening drew his attention to her immediately, and his hard gaze softened as his eyes roamed up her body.

She couldn't help but feel like he was drinking her in...the way his eyes slowly moved up and then back down left her blushing. The want and awe in his gaze...it was hard to look at, and she found herself turning her head to the side so that she wouldn't.

She heard him stand up from the couch and approach her, stopping on her left side. He raised a single clawed digit to her neck.

"What's this?" he breathed, carefully drawing a circle around the two silvery pin prick birthmarks she had on her neck with the pad of his index finger. The feel of him touching her there sent shivers racing up and down her spine, and heat pooled in her lower belly as she sputtered out, "I-it's a b-birthmark."

"A birthmark," he breathed, moving his head slightly away from her.

"Y-yeah," she stuttered, her skin feeling hot as he circled the mark one more time before lowering his hand to her shoulder. His thumb gently rubbed her bare skin there, and her breath caught in her throat. "Kids used to tease me when I was younger - they called me Bella because it looks like a vampire had biten me."

He tilted his head to the side in confusion, so she gave him a brief, loose definition of a vampire.

"...and they bite people on the neck right where my mark is. They have fangs," she finished. "Just like yours."

"_Just_ like mine," he whispered in agreement, his eyes pleading with her to...what?

What did he want from her?

Why did this suddenly feel so..._important_? It was just a silly birthmark. Lots of people had unique birthmarks.

Kagome's breath caught in her throat as he leaned forward, tilting his head to the side to boldly press a gentle kiss to her birthmark. It left her skin tingling and her heart pounding in her throat. Her knees suddenly felt weak, and the heat she had felt in her lower belly before came back tenfold. His lips felt warm and soft in just the right way...why did it feel so good? So right? And why did she want him to continue...and do more than just kiss her neck?

She felt him move slightly away from her to whisper softly into her ear, "Anata...Modotte kite kudasai…"* before pulling away from her. "I'm sorry," he apologized with a shake of his head. "I don't know what came over me."

"I…" she began, trailing off at the desperate and pleading tone of his words.

A knock came from the door, startling Kagome. A dejected Inuyasha moved to sit back down on the couch. "Inuyasha," she breathed, cupping her neck where he had kissed her, and she felt warmth spread through her body.

A second knock came from the door and he shook his head, his face hardening again.

"You should go - you don't want to keep Haruto waiting."

"I...I don't," she agreed, picking up her sweater and heading toward the door.

"Kagome, wait," Inuyasha called and she paused, her heart pounding in her chest. She didn't know why, but she wanted him to tell her to stay. But she wanted and _needed_ to go out with Haruto…

Why was she so conflicted?

She paused and turned around as he stood from the couch and handed her the translator and the emergency tracker. She looked down at his open palm and picked them up, placing them in her pockets as Haruto knocked one more time.

"Inuyasha…" she breathed, and he looked away from her. She was unsure of what it was she wanted to say - but she had to say _something_. "Why don't you sleep in your bed tonight?" she finally decided. "I don't know what time I'll be back. There's no sense in waking you up when I return."

His eyes snapped to hers, and she watched the muscles in his jaw twitch as he clenched and unclenched it in a way that left his teeth grinding together. The look in his eyes was heated and hurt again, and he just shook his head in response.

"Go, before I kick his ass," he finally growled, leaving her as he entered his bedroom and slammed the door shut behind him.

This was already proving to be quite a night. Maybe her time with Haruto would help set her mind straight...

* * *

Her time with Haruto had done everything _but_ set her mind straight - all she could think about was Inuyasha. His betrayed eyes...the whispered words she could never understand...that soft kiss…

Kagome sighed and leaned back on the couch in Haruto's quarters, rubbing her neck for the hundredth time where he had kissed her. The private deck Haruto had wanted to take them to hadn't been so private, and they had ended up back in his quarters. It had been a simple evening, just a shared meal and conversation in his small and quiet home.

Haruto paused, looking at her expectantly. Uh oh. He had asked her something, hadn't he?

"Yes?" she replied uncertainly, and he picked up her glass to refill it.

"I'm glad you like it - it's a specialty drink made from fruit my grandfather grows."

"It's quite nice," she agreed, trying to keep her mind on Haruto instead of wandering back to Inuyasha. Again.

"My father is my grandfather's third son, so he inherited the smallest portion of his lands," he explained, sitting down in front of Kagome. "And I am his fourth son. That's why I joined this great fleet of ships. There's nothing left to inherit...but at least now I can earn some glory," he explained, drinking from his cup. She followed his example.

"And how do you plan to earn your glory?" she asked, taking another sip as her mind began to feel blissfully clouded. Maybe this would help her stop thinking about him. She took another deep swig, trying to encourage the feeling as he just smiled mysteriously.

"We aren't well enough acquainted for that, I think," he replied, and she just raised her brow before sipping more. Perhaps she should slow down...but she needed the distraction.

"Well...that's what tonight is about, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," he agreed before asking her more about herself and her home. She did her best to pay attention to him and drink her special drink, but it was becoming rather hard to focus on the conversation. The back of her neck was beginning to prickle and heat, and she found herself rapidly blinking in an attempt to keep her eyes open and remain attentive. Her limbs felt heavy...unmovable. Like lead.

This...this wasn't typical intoxication. Something was wrong. This wasn't right. She wasn't feeling right.

She needed to leave.

"Haruto, I think I should go," she said, pushing herself to her feet quickly before instantly collapsing into his arms as her world started spinning.

"Nonsense," he purred, laying her down on his couch and reaching under the table to pull out a long, sharp knife. "The fun hasn't even started yet."

* * *

*Wife...Please come back to me…

* * *

A/N:

Thanks as always to Saucy for the edits! You are a Goddess and I LOVE YOU!

Also…So sorry to everyone who reviewed! I was really bad about getting those responses out, but I think I'm caught up! If I didn't respond to you, just know that it's not personal and I'm so sorry for missing you!

House keeping: If you like the work that Saucy and I do, I would encourage you to take a second to head over to Feudal Connection on Tumblr, and vote for us! It's the second post on their page (_**AND YOU DON'T NEED A TUMBLR TO PARTICIPATE!**_) Saucy and I are up for Best AU/AR, and there are SO MANY other amazing stories that you should vote for / read that are up for awards too! You can also do:

tiny

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com

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rbckmsm

**Tomorrow, Wednesday 2/12, is the last day to vote!**

The AMA is now over…but if you want to see any of the questions and responses, you can find them on my tumblr page by searching for ask me anything!

Next chapter goes up Friday, 2/14 (Valentine's Day), and it's a doozy!

Until then!

-Lemon Lush

* * *

A/R:

To Kat: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed it if you did! Thanks for leaving this story a little love!

To Lola1991: RIGHT?! I seriously want one….Can I preorder a sozo box somewhere?! Surprise! Nothing like needing to grow a new heart….Thanks as always for the awesome review!

To Guest: I know! He has so many feelings that he can't really express….but in this way, he can at least comfort himself a little. Thank you so much for your review! We loved it :D


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

* * *

Chapter 12

"Haruto...what's going on?" she groaned, struggling to keep her eyes open as he brought the tip of his knife to the front of her dress.

"I told you," he explained with a sigh. "I'm the fourth son of the third son."

She felt the tip of his knife scrape against her skin as he cut the front of her dress open, exposing her bra to him. That seemed to wake her up a little from the haze that was seeping into the corners of her mind. She reached up to grab his hair, pulling it as hard as she could while she wrapped her legs around his waist and twisted. She was able to throw them off of the couch and she clumsily stood, running to the door. He was faster, though...and he grabbed the back of her dress, ripping it further but successfully stopping her just as she was about to reach the panel to open the door.

"I can't let you do that," he chided, throwing her down to the floor as she yelped in pain. "You have something I need, and I'm not going to let you go running back to your former mate to save you. _Again_."

"What?" she breathed, moving her hand down to the pocket with the tracker and subtly pressing the button from the outside of her dress. "I don't understand."

"Of course you don't," he laughed mockingly. "That's because you were born on that backwoods planet this time. Why do you think you're still alive?"

"I don't know," she replied honestly in a whisper as he crouched down over her.

"I can tell you why," he smirked, slipping the flat side of the blade under the fabric of her bra between her breasts. "It's because he can't watch you die again. I heard he was devastated last time...I wonder what this time will do to him?" he pondered, turning the blade over to attempt to slice her bra in half. She quickly brought her knee up between his legs, kicking him in the groin before he could finish. He dropped the blade and fell to the side, clutching his genitals as he groaned in pain.

Kagome snatched the blade and backed away from him, trying to get to a solid surface to help her stand.

"You bitch…" Haruto moaned, rolling over onto his knees and still cupping his groin. "I was already going to kill you...but now I think I'll play with you first…"

Haruto pushed himself to stand just as she did, and she brandished the blade menacingly in front of her body.

"Don't come any closer," she warned, fighting off the haze in her vision and the swirling in her head. "I mean it!"

"Oh, I'm sure you do," he laughed, "but you don't scare me. I told you - I'm the fourth son, and I will find glory. Killing you and getting that jewel out of you _is_ my glory. Do you have any idea how long we've searched for you?"

The jewel.

Of course that's what he wanted.

"How long?" she asked, trying to keep him talking. Talking bought her more time.

"Almost fifty years," he sneered. "And, of course, when we find it...your mate won't let us do anything about it."

"I don't understand what you're talking about!"

"You really are clueless, aren't you?" he mocked. "Do you even remember anything about your past life? Was your death that horrible? I hear that only happens when your past is better off forgotten. I wonder how they killed you...I heard it was difficult to identify your remains…"

"I...what...I haven't died! I'm right here! I can't be dead!"

"But you were. Do you really think this is your first life? You stupid child...how do you think you got the jewel in you in the first place?"

"_Kagome!"_ came a sudden scream along with a loud pounding from the other side of the door.

Inuyasha. He had come for her...

"Fuck," Haruto cursed under his breath. "I guess I don't have as much time to play as I would have liked. I'd better just get down to business."

"_Haruto, don't you fucking touch her!"_

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called out, her heart pounding in her chest. He had come. For her. He was really here...

"_Kagome!"_ he called back, slamming the door so hard that two large metal imprints of his fists appeared on the other side of the door.

"Persistent," Haruto sneered. "It doesn't matter," he shrugged, turning his attention back to Kagome. "Now, why don't you make this easy for me, huh? I promise, it will be quick."

"Don't come near me!" she yelled, backing away from him.

She wasn't going to let him play Operation on her. She wasn't a game for his amusement...and she absolutely wasn't going to help him _earn his glory_.

"_Kagome!" _a new voice called. Koga? _"Is she ok?"_

"_I don't know - go faster, damnit!"_

"_I'm trying! _Someone_ tried to break down the door...so it's having a hard time working!"_

"_Just fucking make it work!"_

"It's sweet how much he still cares, don't you think? Even after all this time...even in this new body...your bond still holds strong," Haruto laughed, approaching her. She backed away from him step for step until her back hit a wall.

"What bond…?" she demanded, pressing herself further against the wall.

"Wow...he really _hasn't_ told you anything. Maybe it's because he's terrified of losing you again...or maybe it's because in the end, he knows he can't save you from your destiny," he laughed mirthlessly, continuing to close in on her.

"Stay away from me, Haruto...I'm warning you…"

"Please. Look at yourself! You think you know how to use that? Don't make me laugh," he taunted. He leapt towards her, and she thrust the knife upwards as he was about to strike her. She felt the blade slide into him as warm, wet liquid oozed out of the wound and down her hand, dropping off of her wrist and onto the floor.

She had stabbed him.

She had actually _stabbed_ him.

"You bitch," Haruto sneered, looking down at the knife in his right side. He pulled it out with a groan, his eyes filling with a new venom as he examined the blood that now coated the blade. "Oh, I _will_ savor this now," he grinned coldly. "I'll rip your heart out...and when I'm done, I'll throw it at your lover's feet!"

She was defenseless.

Trapped.

Seconds from being stabbed to death.

Everything seemed to slow down in those few seconds before he leapt toward her again. She could feel her heart pounding in her throat, each beat roaring in her ears as the blood drained from her head. The dizziness she had been fighting had also intensified, making it harder to process what was happening...and yet, she could feel her baser instincts being triggered.

She had always known that 'fight or flight' was a survival instinct, but she never thought that she would have to put it so fiercely to the test.

Haruto charged at her, knife poised in the air and ready to be thrust into her tender flesh...and yet, by the grace of God, some sort of eerie calm washed over her. Her mind went blank as the tip moved closer and closer to her.

It was seconds from striking, yet she felt no fear.

Instead...she raised her hands and brought them together in front of her chest. It was as if someone else had taken over her body. Her hands then began to tingle and glow a warm pink as she thrust them outwards toward Hartuo, pushing him backwards. He suddenly flew halfway across the room and to the ground with enough force to make him yelp in pain.

What.

The.

Fuck.

What the _hell_ was that?! Had she just..._no fucking way_! Had she just pushed a man halfway across the room with her _glowing hands_?

She had to be imagining things on top of everything else that was happening...but she didn't have any time to process what had just happened. Haruto was coming back for more.

Kagome continued to hold her hands in front of her body, balling them into fists as he pushed himself back up with a grunt and grabbed his side in pain. His face twisted with malice, and a battle cry was ripped from his throat as he charged her again. She punched his sternum, knocking him against the wall on the other side of the room as the door finally opened.

Inuyasha.

He stood in the hallway, haloed by the bright light filtering in from the outside. He spared but a second to glance at her in shock before quickly shifting his gaze to Haruto as he forced himself to stand and charge once more. He had only made it a few feet before Inuyasha intervened.

He grabbed Haruto by the shoulders, tossing him into the couch like he was nothing more than a rag doll. The force of the impact made the couch flip over, and Haruto moaned in pain. However, Inuyasha wasn't satisfied, and he stalked towards the injured man with a lethal and powerful gait.

He picked Haruto up by the collar of his shirt and punched him hard in the face, breaking his nose. "I told you not to touch her," he screamed, his voice a guttural roar. He punched the man again, blood splattering around them from the force of his fist.

"Inuyasha!" Koga called as Kagome slumped down, the spinning in her head starting to become too much to handle. The glowing around her hands dissipated, and she watched as Koga rushed forward to the pair. "Let me handle him before you do something you'll regret," Koga advised, stopping Inuyasha from punching him again. "Take her home and see to her needs, ok?"

"Yes...go and take your mate home like a good little pup," Haruto sneered, and Inuyasha paled as he glanced over to her. "Oh, don't worry - she knows _everything_ now," he laughed. "It seems someone forgot to tell their mate some _very_ important things."

Inuyasha's face twisted in anger, and Kagome thought he was going to punch Haruto again. Instead, he threw him into Koga's arms, making his friend stumble slightly as he caught him.

"Handle him," Inuyasha growled, rubbing his knuckles on his black sweatpants and coming to stand before Kagome. He bent down and picked her up, gently cradling her to him. She felt his fingertips gently caress her cheek as he looked her over.

"Kagome…" he breathed softly, smoothing her hair out of her face.

That's when she stopped fighting the dizzying swirl in her mind and allowed her vision to fade to black.

* * *

A/N:

Thanks as always to Saucy for the edits! You are a Goddess and I LOVE YOU!

And….HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! You're all my Valentine and Saucy and I love and appreciate all of the support you guys have shown us so far! Truly! It warms our hearts to see that people actually like this story, and ever review is just a reminder that we should keep going and posting and writing and editing, SO THANK YOU!

**House keeping: **

**Voting is over, but results aren't in yet.** If you voted…no matter who you voted for…thank you for taking a moment to participate. Really. It's fun, you helped make someone's day and show them a little support, and it means the world to all of us writers and artists that you showed up!

**Teaser game** – I had a last-minute plot change, which will have a ripple effect through the rest of the story (God I love this buffer). All that means is that due to that and it being V Day, the teaser game won't go up on tumblr until tomorrow at the earliest.

**Fic Recs** – going to start recommending fics here starting next week! If you have a gem you want to pass along, let me know!

**Posting schedule change** – since voting is over, we're now switching to once a week updates guys.

Next chapter goes up Friday, 2/21!

Until then!

-Lemon Lush

* * *

A/R:

To MeTheAnimeLover7: Thank you for leaving us a review! I hit you back up on tumblr, but I just wanted to tell you again how much Saucy and I appreciate the review! I hope you love this new chapter too!

To Guest: LOL! Yes…she should have. But she was too shy and nervous. Not that he would have minded…Thanks for leaving this story a little love and hope you enjoyed this new chapter!

To Cass: Don't worry! He did! Thank you for your review and I hope you like what happened!

To Lola1991: Only if he can….Thank you as always for your amazing review! I hope you enjoyed how this one ended ;)


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

* * *

Chapter 13

"Oh...my head…" Kagome moaned as she woke up, her head throbbing. She tasted something metallic in her mouth that reminded her of pennies.

"You're awake," Inuyasha breathed, instantly coming to sit down on the bed beside her. She noticed that he had changed back into his military clothes, and she absently wondered why.

"Or I'm dead," she laughed hoarsely, but he didn't seem to find the humor in her joke. "Why does my head hurt so much?"

"You're fighting the toxin that Haruto used to lace your drink," he whispered, taking one of her hands between his two. "I'm proud of you - you held your own until we got there."

She furrowed her brow in confusion for a moment as she tried to understand what he was talking about. She didn't remember holding her own. She did get a flash of Haruto holding a knife against her skin between her breasts...and of Inuyasha intervening and punching the crap out of him...that's right! Haruto wanted the jewel. She remembered now...

"You don't remember what you did?" he asked softly. She replied that she didn't, and she could only remember glimpses of what had happened. "You-you really don't remember hurling him across the room? You don't remember your hands glowing bright pink?"

"I...Inuyasha, what are you talking about?" Her hands couldn't possibly do that...yet, he looked baffled that she seemed so confused. She watched his eyes rapidly scan her face as he seemed to internally debate something.

"Kagome," he finally began, the word coming out on a drag of air. "When Haruto attacked you, I saw you defend yourself against his advances. Your hands glowed bright pink, and you were able to push him across the room like he was nothing. Has this never happened before?"

The look that she shot him silently told him that she thought he was crazy. That was all he needed to confirm that this was new to her as well. His brows knitted together in thought, and she wished she knew what was going on in that head of his. It was clear that he was perturbed by recent events as well, and she wished he would just...just _tell_ her.

But he wouldn't.

That's not how he was - he liked to keep things from her. She felt anger and frustration bubble up from the pit of her stomach and she turned her head away from him, the bitterness inside her suddenly making it hard to even look at him.

She tried to search her memory for something..._anything_ that would piece together the events missing from her memory...but she couldn't seem to dig up anything different from what she had already revisited since she had woken up. Haruto wanted her for the jewel. He tried to rip it out of her. Inuyasha came for her. Why was this so hard? Why was nothing ever easy for her?

"Why can't I remember what happened, Inuyasha?" she demanded, turning to look at him again. She felt him shift uncomfortably on his bed under the pressure of her gaze, and he slumped inward at her question with a sigh.

The medic had apparently warned him that this could happen.

"He said that your memory _will_ come back completely...it just might take some time. It's a side-effect of the drug they gave you to help flush what Haruto slipped in your drink out of your system."

"Ok," she whispered, finally turning to look at him. She was appreciative that he at least had some good news. Eventually was better than not at all, right? She didn't like it, but she could live with it.

She still didn't like a great number of things. The lying. Her lack of freedom. The fact that she was being treated like a fragile doll that would break at any fucking second.

Yet...despite it all...she did appreciate him.

He had come for her, right when she had needed him the most.

"I do remember something," she breathed, taking his hand and choosing to ignore the way his whole body stiffened. She didn't want to know if it was from the contact or from her words...even though the little voice in her head couldn't help but question it, almost as if to spite her. "I remember you coming for me and saving me...and I remember feeling like I could finally just..._stop._ I remember feeling oddly safe."

He exhalled at that, and a warm smile spread over his face as he gently cupped hers.

"No. You saved yourself...but I swear that I'll always protect you as best as I can," he promised, and she placed her hand over his. His words were so pretty and decadently sweet...yet she could taste the lies dripping off of them, even though her heart was screaming at her to believe him.

Lies of omission were still lies, after all...and he had done _plenty_ of that so far. She needed to remember that.

He hadn't been lying to her about the jewel, though. She did believe that now. Haruto had literally tried to kill her on their date to get it. There was no way Inuyasha was twisted enough to set him up to do that, nor would he have been able to. Meeting Haruto had happened all by chance.

...but her brain was telling her another truth that she simply couldn't ignore. He had only saved her so that _he_ could take her to be butchered himself. He wanted the jewel as much as Haruto did.

Still, her heart was telling her to trust him. To put her complete and utter faith in him. To let him hold her and whisper those sweet, delicious reassurances into her ear.

Perhaps...perhaps, for a moment, she would allow it. She would give in to the howling she felt in her heart and accept all the comfort that he was so freely offering her.

She watched as he leaned closer and smoothed her hair away from her face, his eyes filling with concern as he searched her face for something.

Perhaps pain?

"Inuyasha, I'm fine," she sighed, reaching out and cupping his face.

"I...Ok," he blushed, covering her hand with his and gently nuzzling it.

This felt right. Why did this feel so right? She didn't want to, but she couldn't deny this - the pull towards him was undeniable.

She mentally shook her head and banished the thought from her mind. She was too tired for this...but she wanted to give in more. Her heart was begging her to allow him to be closer to her, even though her mind was screaming at her to be cautious.

"Would you join me?" she finally asked shyly, giving in and patting the empty spot on the bed. She heard his breath catch in his throat, and hope spread across his face.

"Are you sure?"

"I...I am," she confirmed nervously. He nodded gently, pulling away from her to crawl into the bed next to her.

He slowly laid down well over a foot away from her, placing one arm under his head and the other awkwardly across his abdomen. It was almost like he was waiting for her to tell him to get out any second now, but she rolled over to silently regard him instead.

Feeling the bed move and shift, he turned his head to look at her. His eyes widened in surprise...perhaps from how close she now was? The move had significantly closed the distance between them.

"Thank you for coming for me," she whispered, and his face softened immediately.

"It wasn't even a question," he replied without hesitation.

She smiled. "Still...thank you. If you hadn't…"

"That won't happen," he told her firmly.

"I know. But...thank you anyway."

"You're welcome," he smiled gently, turning to look at her. "You...you really don't know anything about that pink light?" he asked one more time, and she told him that she didn't.

"What do you think it was?"

"I…" he began, trailing off as his brows came together and the words seemed to catch in his throat. She silently begged him to just tell her and be honest with her for once...and, to her surprise, he was. "I think the jewel may have done it," he finally admitted. "I think you accessed it's power somehow."

"Then why have I never done anything like that before?" she pressed. "Why didn't it hurt you when we first met?"

"Perhaps because I've never tried to harm you...or because…" he trailed off, rolling onto his side. She could feel the length of his body just barely brush against hers. He raised his hand, his clawed fingertips gently skimming the skin of her arm as he trailed them up to her shoulder and then back down to her elbow again. She felt her skin tingle with electricity from the sensation. Her heart caught in her throat, as he whispered, "...maybe you feel this, too."

Their heads were almost touching, and she found herself staring deep into the golden pools of his eyes.

They really were so expressive. His eyes...they were gateways to his soul, pure and simple. She felt like she could tell exactly what he was feeling by looking into them. She could see his concern for her. His relief that she seemed to be healing. His desire for her…

She found herself tilting her head up toward his before she could stop herself. She heard his breath catch in response before he leaned his head down farther. His hand came up to gently cup her cheek, and she watched his lips slowly move closer and closer until they were a breath away from touching hers.

She felt her heart begin to race and her palms become sweaty as she closed her eyes, waiting to feel his lips brush against hers in what she was sure was going to be a shy, tender first kiss.

She realized two things in that brief millisecond before their skin touched - the first was that she had never wanted to kiss someone as badly as she wanted to kiss him in that moment, and the second was that whoever was knocking on his door and ruining this was going to die a slow and painful death.

He sighed in frustration as he paused, and she felt his warm breath fan across her face. He didn't need to stop. He could keep going. She wanted him to keep going before the moment was completely ruined. How hard was it to just kiss her before dealing with whoever was there?

The knock came again, and he rolled away from her and rose to go to the door.

"I'll be back in a minute," he reassured her from his bedroom door, and she nodded before moving to lie on her back and closing her eyes and trying to find her common sense again.

Why was she so desperate to kiss him just then? What was wrong with her?

"_What are you doing here, Koga?"_ she heard the translator say, pulling her attention to the conversation between Inuyasha and his unexpected (and unwanted) visitor.

"_I just wanted to make sure she's ok,"_ she heard him reply. _"Why...was now a bad time?"_

"_Very," _Inuyasha growled, and Koga chortled at his reply.

"_I take it I interrupted something good?"_

"_She's fine,"_ Inuyasha snapped, and Koga laughed harder at that.

"_Good - I'm glad. I don't want you to lose her again, either. Has she asked you about—"_

"—_She doesn't seem to remember everything. That being one of them. Bits and pieces...but not that. The medic said that's a side-effect of the medicine."_

"_Ah…"_ Koga replied in a sigh. _"You need to tell her, you know. Or at least you _should_ tell her."_

"_So you've said before."_

"_I mean it. She has a right to know who she was."_

"_Her world doesn't have anything like this. She already doesn't believe in it...she won't understand...and I don't want to make her feel trapped or like someone else made this decision for her and now she's stuck with it. I want her to choose this on her own."_

"_Was that how Kikyo felt?"_

Inuyasha sighed, and Koga apologized.

"_No...it's fine. Kikyo...at the beginning, yes it as. She quickly changed, though. She said that she couldn't fight destiny, and we were so happy once she gave in…"_ Inuyasha paused, and Kagome picked up the translator and pulled it closer as she silently begged him to continue. _"I want to give Kagome the choice Kikyo never had, since she doesn't know."_

"_After all this...after everything _you've_ been through, you'd really let her go?"_

"_If that's what she wants...yes. I would. I...I never thought I'd be in this position. We normally aren't, and you know that. I thought I had my time..."_ he paused again. _"Our time was beautiful, and I've had my happiness. If Kagome feels she will find hers without me, then so be it."_

"_That's great and all...but what happens when she remembers what Haruto said and wants an explanation?"_

"_Then I'll give her one, but the decision will be hers to make in the end."_

She heard Koga sigh and bid Inuyasha farewell, and she placed the translator back on the table next to her.

What didn't she remember from her date with Haruto? And why did she feel like it was a _really_ important piece to this massive puzzle? Why did he keep _lying_ to her and insist on keeping the _truth_ from her?

She groaned in frustration, placing an arm above her head. One thing had become abundantly clear after her run in with Haruto...

She _really _needed to find a way off of this ship.

* * *

A/N:

I'm late…I know. I'm sorry! Saucy had a hell of a week though and I didn't want to push her to get this done on Friday. She told me she's already working on the next chapter though, so hopefully we won't have more delays!

Voting has come to an end and…we didn't win. We do appreciate everyone who took a second to vote for this story though! It means a lot to us that you shared your appreciation for it…SO THANK YOU!

Which brings me to our FF recommendation of the week… "Silver Boy with Golden Eyes" by KittyKatz, aka, this quarter's winner! Congrats and YOU DESERVE IT!

As always, thank you to everyone who left a review, and thank you for helping us reach over 100 reviews on this story on FFN! (Can we say shook?) That's a HUGE milestone, and we're beyond thrilled!

Next chapter is going up Friday the 28th, so see you all then!

* * *

A/Rs:

To Lola1991: What can I say…You know me so well! I didn't think this one was as big of a cliffie as the others, but I love to be surprised! Thanks as always for the review :D

To Cheetahara: I'M SORRY! Hopefully the wait will make the newest chapters that much sweeter though? I've had a LOT of fun playing with the characters, and it's been fun messing with their normal personalities (because the situations is just _so_ different), and I appreciate you taking a chance on this fic! I know sci-fi/space/alien isn't everyone's jam, so THANK YOU…And THANK YOU for leaving this story a little love!

To Pandaik: AND THANK YOU FOR IT! I really didn't think we were gonna hit 100 this chapter…but I love being surprised! I'm trying to really keep pushing the plot forward with each new chapter this time and not have a lot of fillers…but I'm sure it will happen eventually. I'm so glad you're enjoying this, and THANK YOU for the amazing review, and a happy belated Valentines day to you as well!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

* * *

Chapter 14

Kagome waited until Inuyasha was in the shower before sneaking to the sozo box and requesting a uniform identical to the one Haruto wore.

She was sure it had a more technical name, but she just described the brown color and look and was pleasantly surprised when it worked. She also requested some colorful face paint to draw pointed stripes on her cheeks. When she was finished and had pulled her hair down to hide the shape of her ears, she slunk out of Inuyasha's room again.

She didn't bother with a key this time. What was the point? It didn't work last time, and she didn't know where Inuyasha kept his.

Besides.

She didn't plan on coming back.

Kagome quickly made her way to the "elevator" and pressed a different button, going all the way to (what she assumed to be) was the bottom level.

The doors opened and she kept her head down, trying to fade into the background and not be noticed as Inu Youkai bustled about her. She meandered through the halls, attempting to walk with a sense of purpose and seem like she knew what she was doing...even though that that couldn't have been farther from the truth.

Finally, she found a large open room. It looked like a docking area or cargo bay of sorts, and she felt her heart leap into her throat.

Had she really found it?

She wasn't going to let herself get her hopes up.

She was still far from home free.

But...this looked like the place they would keep the pods! There was a wall that was completely missing from one side of the ship, exposing it to space. It was a bit of a mystery as to why everything hadn't been sucked out - could there be a force field of sorts? There was still so much she didn't understand...about so much.

A loud mechanical whirring sound came from the large opening, and she watched as a silvery speck in the distance rapidly became larger and larger until she could identify it as what could only be described as a ship. A smaller one...but a ship, nonetheless!

She had found it!

She internally allowed herself a moment of joy as she casually walked over to a tall stack of large crates, pretending to examine them. She made sure to position herself in just the right way so that she could keep an eye on the ship as it docked. She watched as the engine was turned off and a man opened the door on the side, hopping out as a small group of men joined him.

"Well? How did it go?" one of the men asked.

"I don't know what the hell he was complaining about," the pilot replied. "She handled just fine for me out there. I think we should just lube up her gears and tell him the problem has been fixed."

"Ha...lube up her gears. Your mate must know all about needing that, eh?" a third man interjected, and the pilot just scoffed.

"You're just jealous because you've never been bound to a mate."

"You don't know that!"

"Yeah? Well...if you were and you split ways, that's even more pathetic!" the man shot back before a fourth stepped in and told the men to break it up and move along.

Mate...why did that term feel so..._familiar?_ It was like she had heard it before...what did it even mean?

She shook her head and decided it wasn't important. She needed to focus on other things. More important things - like getting the hell out of here.

She slipped away to examine another stack of crates a bit closer to the recently docked ship, and she attempted to look inside. She was still rather far away...but this was as close as she could get, and maybe she could still learn something useful.

She could just barely see the control panel inside. It looked..._complex_, to say the least. There were so many buttons and levers that she was absently reminded of the control panel in that Pixar movie about the emotions. What was it called again? Inside Out? Yeah. That felt right. It looked like the puberty board in Inside Out.

Crap.

How was she ever going to figure out how to use that?

She took a calming breath and watched as the small group of men dispersed - probably to get oil or something to "lube up her gears" - and she nervously slunk out from behind the crates and toward the ship.

It looked sleek. Futuristic. Beautiful.

Like if Tesla made spaceships.

She was sure Elon Musk wasn't far behind as it were, but this was a Tesla a thousand years in the future.

She quickly glanced around and when she was satisfied that no one was watching her, she slipped inside.

The thing somehow even _smelled_ of a new car. How was that even possible?

She shook her head, refocusing her attention back on trying to figure out how to make this thing work. There was a large panel in the center of the consol that vaguely reminded her of the panel in the shower. It was just big enough for her hand, too…

She nervously placed her palm onto the black screen, and she jumped when everything lit up and a holographic wheel popped out at her. It reminded her of a race car steering wheel. It was almost a circle, but not a whole one - the top and bottom had been cut off so that there was only a semicircle stick on either side, and the center was littered with a cornucopia of buttons. She couldn't even begin to fathom what all they did.

"Going for a joy ride?"

"Fuck!" she swore, placing a hand over her racing heart as she turned to see Inuyasha casually leaning in the doorway of the ship with his arms resting on either side of the frame above his head. His hair was a bit damp and clung to his shoulders and face in long platinum tendrils.

He looked about as happy as she felt.

"You scared me," she breathed nervously as he pushed away from the frame and sat down in the open seat next to her.

"Good," he replied crisply. "You know how it feels, then."

They were silent for a moment before he whispered, "I thought...after earlier...I thought you were done running away from me."

"I'm not running...I was just exploring."

"Looking like that?" he countered, raising his brow.

"I was trying to fit in."

"Then, next time...perhaps you shouldn't put stripes on your cheeks and wear that outfit. It's very contradictory, you know."

"I didn't…"

"I know," he sighed. "Brown is a low-born color. Those stripes only appear on those who are high-born. It's a physical trait passed down through blood. Next time you try to escape, pick a different color or leave off the stripes," he advised.

"I wasn't trying to—"

"—You don't have to lie, Kagome," he whispered. "You're scared, and I don't blame you. This is...a lot. It's terrifying _and_ someone tried to kill you today. I'm a bit surprised it took you this long, frankly."

She blushed and looked away from him before squaring her shoulders and regarding him again. "Yes. I am. And it only took this long because I thought I could try convincing Haruto to show me where the pods were."

"This isn't a pod," he grinned. "It's a fighter ship. It holds much less fuel than the one you think you want...but Kagome...you don't want any of them. I told you - we're too far out now for a pod to get you home."

"I don't believe you."

"I thought you trusted me?"

"I don't know if I can!" she cried out. "One minute I…" she trailed off, unable to bring herself to describe the maelstrom of emotions swirling within her.

She couldn't tell him that she could go from feeling completely safe and taken care of when she was with him to the exact opposite in the blink of an eye. He wasn't always truthful with her. He kept things from her.

Important things.

Like the fact that he was marching her off to have fucking _heart surgery_.

"I want to live. That's the one thing I do know."

"Then stay," he whispered, pleading with her.

"I don't want to. I don't want the surgery, Inuyasha. I don't want to die!"

"You won't," he promised, reaching out and taking her hand and cupping her cheek. "I would sooner die than let that happen. The surgery...I won't lie. I'm terrified of it too. But unless we get that thing out of you, Haruto won't be the last to try and take it by force."

"Then teach me to fight."

His brows rose and his mouth opened slightly in surprise.

"I...what?"

"Teach me to fight," she repeated. "If Haruto won't be the last, then teach me to defend myself."

"Kagome...no…" he sighed.

"Why not?"

"We'd just be putting a bandaid on the actual problem. They will never stop coming for you now that we've found you."

"Then teach me to fight and lose me."

"You know I can't."

"Well, I can't have the surgery."

"So we're at an impasse, huh?"

"It would appear that way."

He turned from her and leaned his head back in the seat, looking up at the ceiling with desperate, hopeless eyes as his ears lowered to his head. It was like he was begging it to give him some sort of answer.

"What if we ran away together?" she breathed before she could stop herself or think about what she was saying. "You don't want to bring the jewel home any more than I want it removed.

We could run.

You could explore the universe like you always wanted to, and I could go with you. We could protect and take care of each other," she whispered, her head subconsciously moving closer to his as he turned to regard her.

"We could be free...we could live by our own rules...we could be happy…"

His face softened into longing, and his eyes shifted to her lips.

"I want that," he breathed, his head lowering to hers. "I want that more than anything…"

"Then let's do it," she pleaded as she moved closer to him and cupped his cheek, gently rubbing it with her thumb. "Run away with me…"

"Kagome…I…"

"Please, Inuyasha," she replied, their heads so close that their lips almost brushed against each other as they spoke. She could feel his hot breath against her skin. "Come with me. We can start over together."

"I...I can't. I can't betray Inusekai."

She pulled away from him and pushed his chest as hard as she could, surprising him and forcing him out of the ship. The doors closed automatically and locked as he tumbled to the ground.

She had her answer.

* * *

A/N:

If you think I'm the worst now…Just you wait. MUAHAHAHAHAHA! Thanks as always to Saucy for the edits. You pushed to get this done today despite all the personal shit, and I adore you for your dedication. Love you!

I'm behind on Ars since we did a double post this week, but I'll get to them tomorrow!

Also…WE'RE DOING ANOTHER AMA AFTER 15 GOES LIVE! Get ready for more details next time folks!

Story Rec of the week – Your Lying Smile, Dawnrider

WHERE'S THE REST DAWN!? WHERE IS THE REST?!

If you have a story rec for me to give to others, HIT ME UP! Here or tumblr, I'm happy to spread the word!

Thank you for all the amazing reviews as always though…You guys rock and they always make us smile!

Next chapter goes live Friday, March 6.

Till then!

-Lemon Lush


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

* * *

Chapter 15

"Kagome...open the door," Inuyasha yelled, banging on the side of the ship as she tried to figure out the control panel in front of her.

Why did this hurt so much? Her vision was blurring as she tried to find an ignition switch of some kind.

"No," she yelled back to him. She kept pushing buttons until one created a shimmering, iridescent bubble around the craft that threw Inuyasha away from the ship. Her heart lodged in her throat as he landed roughly on his arm, and he cried out harshly in pain. She called out to him, twisting around in her chair in panic to watch him with bated breath. He slowly pushed himself up, hissing in agony as he held his arm to his body.

It looked like it was dislocated.

She didn't want to hurt him...she just wanted to live.

"Inuyasha," she breathed as he squared his good shoulder and clenched his jaw, placing his hand onto his dislocated shoulder.

He wasn't…

No…

He could break his whole arm!

"Inuyasha, no!" she yelled as he popped his shoulder back into its socket. She watched helplessly as he let out a tortured cry and collapsed to his knees.

"Inuyasha…" she breathed again, fighting the urge to leave her seat and comfort him. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she get her fucking emotions in check? Why was she so...so _confused _when he was involved?

She needed to get her head on straight and get out of there.

She took a calming breath and forced her attention away from him and back to the panel in front of her, continuing to press buttons on instinct until the ship finally hummed with life. She flipped another one, and she then felt the ship lift up as a swarm of Inu Youkai started running towards the ship.

Shit.

She could see Inuyasha yelling at them, his good arm thrust out to the side in a gesture that made her think he was telling them to stand down.

Was he really letting her go?

She glanced at him one more time and felt her heart ache in her chest. Why did it hurt to leave him? Why had she even wanted him to come with her in the first place?

She shook her head and grabbed the steering wheel, refocusing her attention on getting the fuck out of dodge.

She swung the steering wheel around and made a sharp turn, heading toward the opening she had seen before. She grabbed a lever next to all of the buttons that had helped her get this far, and she was pleased to discover that she had found the "gas".

"Goodbye, Inuyasha," she whispered, shakily pushing it forward as she ignored the knots in her stomach and the tightness in her throat. She needed to do this. She needed to save herself...even if it meant leaving him behind. In a split second, she was out of the bay and surrounded by the stars.

She was going home.

* * *

Space was beautiful.

It was quiet and peaceful.

She had never been able to see this many stars while on Earth. She knew that light pollution and pollution in general was pretty bad there...but she hadn't realized how bad it truly was until she was traveling past Jupiter.

It was...wow…

As cliche as it sounded, she felt like she was flying through a sea of sparkling diamonds scattered across a black velvet fabric. She wished she could see the different galaxies that were out there, too. She knew they existed.

Inuyasha was proof of that alone.

She pinched her eyes closed and willed herself to stop thinking about him for the hundredth time...

...but she couldn't.

She was going home, and they were parting ways. He was just...just some random part of her life that didn't even matter. She shouldn't be feeling this way.

They had never even kissed for fuck's sake! She wished they had - she just knew it would have been _so_ satisfying…

_No!_

She smacked the top of her steering wheel's side grip (away from all of the buttons), but it didn't help. She was still frustrated.

Why the hell was she feeling as...as..._what_? He kept things from her..._important_ things! He had lied to her! He had fucking _kidnapped_ her!

So...why did it hurt so damn much that he wouldn't come with her? That she wouldn't see him again? That she could never touch him again? Was this an extreme case Stockholm Syndrome?

She shook her head and turned her attention back to the once in a lifetime view outside her window.

Jupiter.

It was awe-inspiring. Absolutely breathtaking in every way.

The golden stripes surrounding the planet seemed to glow against the pitch black space surrounding it, vaguely reminding her of the golden eyes she wanted to get lost in. The white reminded her of the silvery hair she wanted to run her fingers through. The red made her instantly recall a certain military uniform.

How was a planet making her think of him?

It wasn't fair!

She leaned forward on the steering wheel, careful to not press any of the buttons. She then let out a loud groan of frustration. She wished she could forget him - everything about him, and everything that had happened to her.

She wished she were home.

She wished he were here.

She wished Koga had never interrupted them.

A loud beeping sound rang out in her ship as a holograph popped up in front of her face. Oh no..._now_ what?!

It was just a large white rectangle with black text she couldn't read and what looked like two prompt buttons below. She waved her hand through it in a big, wide sweep to try to get rid of it...but all it did was shoot the image around the cabin of the ship, making her dizzy as she tried to follow its rapid, circular path.

Great. She was stuck with it now, huh?

She sighed in exasperation as the beeping sound continued, and she slunk down in her chair. This was going to be _so_ annoying...but at least she wasn't thinking about a certain half Inu Youkai anymore, right?

Well...now she was…

There went that.

Her mind brought her back to those last few moments again for the umpteenth time, and she absently wondered how his arm was. He was so stupid...he should have just gone to a medic rather than try to fix his arm himself. He could have broken it!

She absently ran her fingers through her hair as she remembered how his arm had become dislocated in the first place. She hadn't meant to hurt him. She really hadn't. She had just wanted to get out of there alive. She wanted to go _home_. She wanted to _live_.

'_Now that we found it, do you really think we would just let it go because it's inside your heart? _

_Say 'Oh ok. Our mistake. Let's go find another one to use instead!'? _

_No! _

_This is the one...and the people I'm with won't give a fuck where it is inside you. It's not right, but they don't care if they spill your blood to get it!'_

Her mind replayed a mixture of his words in her mind over and over again. She hadn't made a mistake, had she?

'_You didn't ask for this, and neither did I! So...if I can only save one of us from this fucking thing, I'm gonna save you. I don't care how hard it is. I don't care how many doctors I have to consult with or what I have to do._

_I'm not going to let you let you die! _

_That's the whole fucking reason I did this. Taking you is keeping you alive. Keeping you with me is keeping you alive.'_

No. Leaving was her best chance at survival.

'_...unless we get that thing out of you, Haruto won't be the last to try and take it by force.'_

She had defended herself against him. Leaving wasn't a mistake.

'_They will never stop coming for you now that we've found you.'_

Then she'd keep running.

Right?

_Right?!_

This was the right thing to do.

This was what she needed to do.

'_If this works...I could be the key to ending this war.'_

Yes. This _was_ the right thing to do. Because it wouldn't work. He had told her that he didn't believe it would. By running...she was saving them both.

That was all the reassurance she needed.

The incessant beeping of the hologram finally, _blessedly_ stopped...and she sighed in relief as it disappeared. Whatever it was or wanted, it was done and over with and the dull ringing in her skull it had been creating was finally easing.

"_Kagome?"_

_Holymotherfuckingshitwhattheactualhell!_

A new hologram had popped up in front of her - this time with what appeared to be a real-time video feed of Inuyasha.

"What do you want?" she demanded, before softly asking, "How is your arm?"

"_It's been better,"_ he smiled weakly. _"You didn't pick up."_

"Huh?"

"_I tried calling you just now. You didn't pick up. I had to manually patch myself through."_

So that's what that beeping had been…

"I didn't know what it was," she shrugged coldly, unwilling to show him that she was relieved that he was fine. She couldn't be feeling like that, damnit! How many times would she have to remind herself of that to get it through her thick head?

"_Kagome...please...turn your ship around,"_ Inuyasha pleaded, jumping right to the point. _"Please. I don't want to treat you like a hostile."_

"Yeah? That's funny…'cause that's how I'm feeling right now."

Noooo, no, no, no, no, no...stupid, stupid, dumb, big mouth. This wasn't helping! Why was she saying that?

"_Please, Kagome...I...I shouldn't, but I'm giving you one more chance. Please come back willingly. You aren't going to make it back to earth. You don't even know how to find earth! This is a halfcocked idea…Please, Kagome…Don't do this..."_

"I can't, Inuyasha. I need to try! I need to go. Let me go. Not just for me...but for you, too."

She watched him pinch his eyes shut and grind his teeth together, and she silently begged him to let her do this. Finally, he opened his eyes and even through the fuzziness of the hologram, she could see the tears brimming in his eyes.

"_I'm sorry, Kagome. I warned you."_

She gasped in surprise as a ship in the distance in front of her uncloaked itself, and she knew without a doubt that it was Inuyasha. He had been following her this whole time.

She had never really been free, had she?

Then, he fired.

* * *

A/N:

*Runs away and hides*

Thanks for all of the amazing reviews for the last chapter guys! And I'm FINALLY caught back up on responses on FFN (still working on AO3), but wanted to get this up ASAP so…AO3…I'm still coming for you!

House Keeping! Saucy Librarian is hosting a AMA tomorrow (3/7) from 10 am to 10 pm EST on my Tumblr account! Ask the woman slaving away behind the scenes ANYTHING (and I mean anything). You can start submitting asks NOW!

Fic Rec…My Heart by GrlWthAThrnNhrSd! I haven't read it yet…but it was recommended to me so I'm pasing it along! (it is on my list though!) I've heard great things about it!

Next chapter is going live Friday, March 13!

SEE YOU ALL AT THE AMA!

-Lemonlush

Ps: the second baby teaser in the teaser game on tumblr was in the image ;)

* * *

A/Rs:

Lola1991: Because I'm an evil, evil, evil woman when it comes to this story….MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Kris M: I am the worst, and I regret nothing! I hope you enjoy the next chapter!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

* * *

Chapter 16

The whole ship shook as the blast Inuyasha had shot struck her vessel, and she was knocked forward. Her palms struck the dash before her with a resounding smack, and she grit her teeth as her ship continued to vibrate around her. A second impact rapidly followed, and she cried out as it hit.

Warning bells and flashing lights surrounded her as a new hologram popped up, showing her a model of the ship. A red patch appeared over both of her wings, and she could only assume that those were the parts that had been damaged.

He was trying to immobilize her to keep her from running.

"_Don't make me fire again,"_ he begged her, tears still streaming down his face. _"I don't want to risk hurting you...Please..."_

"I can't trust that," she ground out, pushing herself back up. "You've been lying to me from the start - don't tell me you haven't been!"

"_I'm not! I haven't been!"_ he insisted, vehemently shaking his head.

"Then what happened with Haruto, Inuyasha?"

"_W-what? You know what happened - you were there! I just got there at the end when he was trying to kill you..."_

"And yet, I still can't remember everything!" she snapped, bracing her arms on the console.

"_That's because of the medicine," _he reminded her gently, wiping his cheeks. _"I told you what the doctor said…"_

"That's pretty damn convenient, don't you think?" she bit back.

"_Convenient? How?"_ he demanded bitterly, exasperation seeping into his voice. _"What do you think I've been hiding from you? I was honest with you about what we wanted!"_

"Were you? Or did I have to find out on my own? You never told me where the jewel was, Inuyasha...and you sure as hell weren't honest about why I was really on that ship."

"_I didn't want to scare you! You had been through so much...I-I wanted to protect you! I still do...Please...Come back. Let me take care of you and keep you safe."_

"Come back so you can butcher me? Like Haruto wanted to?"

"_I don't want that," _he insisted vehemently.

"Then what do you want?"

"_I…" _he began, almost as if he were surprised by her question._ "You..."_

"I know. You made that clear. You need me for your jewel."

"_That's…"_ he shook his head, closing his eyes painfully. _"That's not how I meant it, Kagome."_

"Then how _did_ you mean it?" she demanded, her heart suddenly racing at the implication.

"_I...I want_ you. _I don't want the fucking jewel, Kagome. I want_ you. _I can't lose _you!_ I...I _care_ about you, Kagome. More than you could possibly know.._."

"Bullshit...Why didn't you come with me?" she breathed bitterly. "You had the chance. We could have run together..."

"_I can't abandon my people and what I'm meant for!"_

"Why not? Why are you letting him do this to you, Inuyasha? Why are you letting your father _experiment _on you? _Kill you?_"

"_You wouldn't understand...It's my duty! It's for the greater good! For something bigger than just me," _he uttered, his words barely above a whisper. _"What I want...It doesn't matter. I'm not free to have what I want, or do what I want. I can't."_

"And what exactly do you want, huh? What can't you have?"

He pinched his eyes shut and looked away, trying to hide the look on his face from her. It was raw, unbridaled devastation. What was going on in that head of his?

"_More. I can't have more."_

"Of what? For god's sake...give me _something_, Inuyasha! Be honest with me, for once!"

"_I don't know what you want from me! I've given you everything, Kagome! You want to hear me say that I can't be happy? That I tried once, and it was ripped away from me? You want to hear me say that I can't have the things I want in life? What? What do you want from me, Kagome? Tell me,"_ he begged, his voice cracking. _"Tell me what to give you, and I'll do it!"_

Her fingers tightened and relaxed around the armrest, his words swirling around her head and inside her heart.

"_You won't die,"_ he promised for the umpteenth time when she said nothing. _"I...I can help you. I can train you to harness the power of the jewel, Kagome. If you can control the power within you...it would never need to be removed! We'd have no need to take it out! Please...let me do this…"_

She let out a long, shuddering breath through her teeth and slowly shook her head.

"Your words are so pretty, Inuyasha...it's hard to believe them."

She was done with this conversation. She didn't know if she could really run...but she wasn't going to let him take her again without a fight. She pressed the button that had thrown up the force field before, and she watched as a glimmering shield encapsulated her ship before grabbing the gas and pushing it all the way forward.

She charged at his ship, intending to fly past him. If he was going to fire at her, then so be it. At least she still had a shield to protect her, even if she was too chicken shit to press buttons and fire back at him.

"_Kagome...what are you doing?"_

"What do you think I'm doing?" she snapped as she continued to charge at him, praying he would just let her go - dodge her and move out of the way and let her leave in peace. He only swore as she got closer and closer to his ship.

"_Kagome...stop! Your ship is damaged! You're going to hurt yourself!"_

She chose not to respond, and instead kept her course.

"_Kagome!" _he called one more time before he fired at her when she was almost on top of him. She tried moving out of the way at the last second, but her shield rammed into the side of his ship. It flickered a few times from the force of impact, and she watched as he spun out and away from their point of collision.

Her heart leapt into her throat as she saw him grab his bad arm and wince in pain, slumping in on himself...but she didn't stop. She couldn't. She kept flying forward, hoping her rashness had bought her some much needed extra time. She glanced down at his hologram and saw him grit his teeth, anger flooding his eyes.

"_Kagome, stop this! I will fire on you again!"_ he warned, pressing his lips into a thin line.

His ship shot forward and sped after hers, and she silently cursed her brashness. She kept an eye on his ship, watching as he fired at her. She turned her wheel to the left, dodging the blast once, twice, and a third time.

"_You're getting good,"_ he complimented. Was that _pride_ in his voice? Was he really _proud_ of her for running and dodging his attacks?

She remained silent, choosing to ignore his compliment.

Suddenly, he was gone from view...and her already racing heart sped up even more in her chest.

Where the hell was he?

A blast hit the underside of her ship's forcefield, and she gripped her armrest in shock. The blast didn't affect her nearly as much as it had before when the shields were down, but it still left her feeling just as nervous as before.

"_I'm still better,"_ he smirked at her through the hologram, and she growled at him in response.

That asswipe! Of course he was still better! This was her first time flying one of these things! How the hell had he even gotten under her?

She wasn't going to let him win, though. She was going to gain her freedom!

She charged at him out of sheer anger, but this time, he activated his shield right when she was about to hit his ship. She bounced away from him like they were playing the universe's most dangerous game of bumper cars. It took her a moment to get her ship back under her control...but when she did, she saw him fire three more blasts at her in rapid succession and at close range.

She had no time to react, and they hit her shield. It wavered for a moment.

Shit.

This wasn't good.

"_Your shield is going, Kagome,"_ he voiced. _"It won't be much longer until it's gone. Stop running...come back with me. Let me try to teach you how to harness your power! We can figure this out..."_

"There is no 'figuring this out', Inuyasha...I'm not letting you take me without a fight!" she snapped.

"_You did! You fought bravely and admirably! Stop this, Kagome...please. I don't want to hurt you...That's the last thing I want...Please...I'm begging you..."_

"Yet, that's all you've done since I've met you!"

"_Kagome…"_

"You took me from my home," she ground out, steeling her nerves to run again. "You ripped me away from everything I know and love…you _lied_ to me _repeatedly_. You act like you know what is best for me, but you don't! You don't even know me! And I don't know you! Your words mean _nothing_ to me…"

"_Do they really mean nothing to you?" _he whispered softly, closing his eyes. _"I've hurt you that deeply?"_

"You _kidnapped_ me!" she yelled, "Did you really think you hadn't hurt me?"

He didn't respond, his eyes betraying the inner sorrow he felt. He hated everything about this as much as she did. She could see it...and she hated herself for wanting to comfort him. She couldn't comfort him. He was the enemy! She needed to remember that.

She charged ahead and he moved into her path, their ships crashing into each other again. Her shield then flickered out.

"_Kagome, stop! Your shield is out now. You have nothing left to protect you! Please, Kagome...Let me help you...Please..."_

"I can't."

"_You can…" _he breathed, his words barely above a whisper.

"I can't," she replied with a grunt as she pulled on the gas lever again, speeding away from him.

She wasn't fast enough, though. She could see him quickly following her at a close distance. She heard him sigh and she glanced over at the hologram, watching as he opened his closed eyes and pressed his lips into a thin line.

Three blasts came shooting towards her ship, and they all struck her left wing. She gripped her armrests with white knuckles as the ship vibrated around her, and she grit her teeth together to keep from crying out.

"_Kagome…"_ he breathed in concern as the red flashing lights dimmed in color, and the hologram of the ship showed additional red spots on her left wing.

She ignored him and pressed on, only to cause him to swoop down under her ship and pop up in front of her.

"_Stop…"_

She shook her head and he fired again, aiming for her left wing. She moved to the right, just barely avoiding it and continued onward.

There _had_ to be a way to get him to stop, but she was too nervous to press buttons when she didn't know what they did! That should have been her first order of business after she had put some distance between the big ship and herself. She obviously hadn't been thinking.

Instead, she had been too wrapped up in her emotions about the man now hunting her.

She mentally shook her head. This wasn't helping.

She needed a plan.

Inuyasha fired at her again, and the blast landed on her left wing. You would have thought that she would have been used to the vibrations and the feeling of being struck...but she wasn't. The force of the hit knocked her forward onto the dash again, and he cried out her name.

The sound caused her to glance over at his hologram, and her eyes landed on something that gave her pause.

She might not know much about the ship she was in…

...but she _did_ know that he wore a weapon around his neck that she _could_ use. His necklace.

_"Your fail safe. Only you can activate it. Did you have to pick something so demeaning?" he ground out, covering his nose with his hands. "Fuck! That hurt!_"

He had asked her to put it on him so that she would feel safer around him. All it would take is a word. Just one word, and he himself would be immobilized. He'd be dropped to the ground and unable to move.

He was already hurt, though...and she didn't want to hurt him more. Not after dislocating his shoulder earlier. But did she really have a choice...?

He was _never_ going to stop coming after her. He was _never_ going to leave her alone. She _needed_ to. If she wanted to escape, she needed to do this. If she wanted to live, she needed to do this.

This was her last chance at survival.

The last thing she could do to keep herself safe.

The only thing she could do to escape him.

She pushed herself back up, a resolute look set across her features.

"_Kagome?"_ Inuyasha called out tentatively, an unasked question clear in his tone and his eyes.

"Sit," she whispered. He immediately fell forward, slamming his palms and his head into the dash before him. She watched him grit his teeth in pain and frustration before his eyes widened in fear. Her heart clenched at the sight, but she couldn't stop.

She was doing this for a reason.

"_No…" _ he breathed, pushing himself back up with great difficulty as she began to run away from him again.

"Sit," she whispered again, unable to bring herself to look at the hologram as the necklace worked it's hold over him once more.

She heard him swear as he was slammed back down, the sound of his body colliding with the console echoing out from the hologram. At least it didn't sound like he was in pain. She could accept that.

"_Fuck...Kagome...No...RUN! MOVE!" _he yelled...and she paused.

Why was he telling her to _run_? He was trying to take her _back_!

She looked behind her and saw a large, yellow, glowing ball start to form in a cannon under his ship.

"_Damnit, Kagome,"_ he swore, looking up at her with pleading eyes as best as he could. _"MOVE!"_

She didn't need to be told again. She grabbed the gas and pushed it all the way forward, moving as fast as she could...but it was too late. His ship launched the terrifying glowing orb towards her. It struck the side of her ship, ripping off her already significantly damaged left wing in the process.

She cried out as she felt the ship begin to spin, and she grabbed the armrests to try to keep herself from being tossed about. She pinched her eyes closed as the stars swirled around her in white streaks, and she tried to take steadying breaths to help everything make sense again. She absently heard something smack against her windshield, but she paid it no mind. It was hard to think straight when your entire world was spinning.

Suddenly, she slammed into something that stopped her tailspin, and she leaned forward with a groan. She was alive, but badly shaken. She felt so dizzy and nauseous and it was hard to see straight, but she tried. She finally looked up to see what had stopped her, and saw that Inuyasha had used his shield to bump into her spiraling ship. Now, she was just floating away absently instead of surviving the world's worst spinning teacup ride.

She also saw one other thing.

A long, sinuous crack along the length of her windshield...and a fine, white mist floating out of the cabin.

Fuck.

She was losing oxygen.

And quickly.

* * *

A/N:

Sorry this took forever to update! I had to completely redo this chapter. Twice. And then it took a sec for Saucy to edit. If you ever want to know what's going on, PLEASE come find me on Tumblr. I make announcements there!

Since this fic was last updated…it has since been nominated for Best AU at the Feudal Connection AGAIN! I don't know who you are…but THANK YOU! Voting starts on the 29th, so if you like the work that Saucy and I do, consider voting for this fic, or my other fic (Also nominated for Best AU and also Best Angst) One Last Ride!

I'm behind on Ars. I swear I'll make the time to do them soon!

And thank you for not giving up on me and this fic!


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

* * *

Chapter 17

She would not panic. She _could not _panic.

"_Kagome?"_

She gripped the armrests of her chair and stared at her windshield in terrified fascination as oxygen continued to seep out of the cabin. She felt herself taking short, shallow breaths as her chest rapidly rose and fell. Her head felt light, and it was hard to think. There was a light ringing in her ears and all of the sounds around her, including those damn warning noises from the ship, were muffled and hard to hear.

"_Kagome? Kagome, are you ok?"_

She didn't respond. It was like she didn't know how to speak anymore. Her lips and vocal cords just weren't working.

Ok. _Fine._ She was panicking.

"_KAGOME!"_

She shook her head hard and pointed to the windshield.

"_Did something happen to the windshield?"_

She nodded.

"_Kagome...what's going on? Talk to me...please…"_

"I…" she finally began, licking her lips. "Oxygen...loosing…"

He didn't seem to need her to say more. He swore, and his ship was suddenly in front of hers...close, but not close enough to touch.

_"I'm coming,"_ he told her calmly, but she could hear the underlying panic in his words. She glanced away from the windshield long enough to see him unstrap himself from his chair. He pressed a button on his uniform by his collar as he stood up.

An odd mist of rapidly moving particles swirled around his head and solidified, melting into a helmet. He had put his hair up into a "man bun" of sorts to keep it out of the way at some point, and she noticed for the first time that he seemed to be wearing a spacesuit of some kind as well. It was silver with black and grey parts, and it clung to his body like a second skin. It left very little to the imagination, but perhaps that was due to the glowing red lines accenting the suit and framing his appendages and body? It made him look sporty and sleek. Despite that, it looked thick. Heavy duty. Sturdy.

Still, despite his words and actions, she couldn't help but passively wonder what the hell he thought he could do.

She was a goner. It was just a matter of time now.

Minutes felt like hours before she saw him appear in her side window, and he began to look around. She wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he pushed himself away from the side and towards the windshield. He quickly seemed to assess the situation, and he pulled out a can that absently reminded her of shaving cream as he pulled himself toward the crack.

She watched as he pressed down on the trigger on the top of the can, and a blue gel-like substance sprayed out and onto the windshield. He then removed what she could only describe as a spatula and gently rubbed it along the crack, carefully working it over the fracture. She watched in fascination as the substance became relatively colorless and translucent.

He was plugging the crack.

She watched as he continued working along the fissure until he had covered its entire length...and there was no longer a fine white mist exiting through it.

He put the can back into what looked like a tool belt that he wore and held up his arm, pressing something along his forearm.

"_Kagome?"_ he asked tentatively through the same hologram window as before. He must have patched himself through again somehow...

"Inuyasha," she replied, still unable to speak regularly. She couldn't decide if that was now from the lack of oxygen in the ship or if that was because she was still panicking.

"_Kagome,"_ he breathed in relief, allowing his face to soften in relief for a moment before hardening it. _"Kagome...your ship can't fly anymore. I'm going to come in and get you and take you back with me. Do you understand me?"_

"I..."

She had no choice, did she? She had to go with him if she wanted to live. Her ship was done for. She couldn't run anymore. If she wanted to live to see tomorrow...she was going to have to go back with him.

"—_I'm not letting you die, Kagome,"_ he told her resolutely, not letting her possibly argue with him before softly whispering, _"I'm not losing you again."_ His voice cracked with emotion, and his eyes told her that he was _dead fucking serious_. He was going to come in there and pull her out_ kicking and screaming_ if he needed to.

He wouldn't need to, though. She'd go willingly this time.

What puzzled her, though, was why he was saying "again"...the lack of oxygen had to be messing with her head.

He stayed silent for a few more seconds, almost as if he were daring her to challenge him before he directed her to push a button on the far right side of the board. It was the smallest one on the whole panel and when she pressed down, it made a box under the console crack it's door open with a pop.

"_Take out what's inside and put it on,"_ he instructed, and she listened. She opened the door the rest of the way and pulled out what she found there - two silvery cuffs, similar to the ones he wore on his forearms. She slid them up on her own arms, and she let out a surprised yelp when they latched on to her without any additional prompting.

She looked back up at Inuyasha expectantly, awaiting his next instruction. He held up his arm, showing her a flap to open on each of them with a hidden button inside. He instructed her to press it, and this time, she gasped when thousands of particles oozed out of the cuffs in a silvery haze and floated to cover her from the neck down as they had when he put on his helmet. They melted together to cling to her body, creating a space suit akin to his.

Oh yes. With the way these suits clung to you, they may as well have been a wetsuit.

"_Push the button on your collar right here,"_ he continued, showing her on his own suit where to press...and when she did, more fog covered her head to create a helmet. He praised her and instructed her to press a second button, and another much larger box popped open. This time, it contained what looked like a jetpack with an oxygen tank inside, and he guided her through snapping it onto her back. As soon as she had, she felt her suit shifting and morphing again, almost as if it were absorbing the new equipment to become one with it.

"_Can you breathe?"_ he asked, and she shakily told him that she could. "Good. _I need you to do one more thing, and then I'm going to get you...ok?"_

She nodded her head, and he told her to hit three more buttons on the dash on the top right. A loud whining sound accompanied by a whoosh and a change in pressure rapidly followed. She felt the gravity in the cabin give way to weightlessness, and she found herself floating upwards. When she looked back towards the window for Inuyasha, she saw that he was gone. She looked around in a panic before hearing some thumping by the door she had shoved him out of hours before.

"_Kagome," _he called, the hologram grabbing her attention again. _"Back away from the door."_

She nervously nodded, but she pressed herself against the wall on the opposite side of the cabin and waited with baited breath to see what he was going to do.

She didn't have to wait long.

Minutes later, the door popped off of its hinges and he threw it away from the ship, pulling himself inside.

"Kagome," he breathed, reaching out a hand expectantly. She looked at it cautiously. She knew what would happen if she took his hand.

He would take her back to his ship, and he would march her off for that fucking surgery. If she didn't, though...she'd be stranded in space.

She'd die a slow, painful death...and would probably go mad in the process.

That wasn't much better.

She looked back up at him, and she was surprised by the desperation and longing in his eyes. He was begging her to come with him...and she believed it was because he wanted _her_, not the jewel.

"Kagome?" he prompted again, and she bit down on the inside of her lip.

This was her choice. Her time to decide.

"Kagome...please…"

She did it. She placed her hand in his. He immediately pulled her into his arms, tightly wrapping them around her lower back and shoulders as he leaned his head down towards her shoulder. His helmet clanked into hers, but he didn't seem to care. He just wanted to hold her for a second...and she found herself returning his embrace.

Finally, he let go and took her hand again while pressing a few buttons on his cuff. He told her to let go as he did the same, and she was surprised when she felt hers still being tugged back towards his. He seemed pleased and firmly gripped her hand again anyway before he pulled them toward the destroyed entry to her ship.

She saw the debris from the destroyed wing swirling around them like tumbleweeds, and she suddenly felt very nervous about what she knew came next.

Battling their way past the debris to his ship.

He looked over at her, and his expression became soft again as he reached up to squeeze her shoulder with his free hand.

"It will be ok," he soothed, trying to reassure her. However, she didn't feel very reassured at all. "This isn't my first time in space. You can trust me, Kagome."

Could she? She was still struggling with that.

"Are you ready?" he asked gently, and she paused nervously.

Ready to go out into that? No.

But she was also really ready to get this over with.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

That was all he needed. He pressed a button on his suit...and suddenly, they were _flying_. He spun her in towards his body, and he kept their joined hands down at his side while he wrapped his other hand around her back and guided them through the rubble around them. She wanted to close her eyes to it, but she couldn't.

It was beautiful.

It was like he was dancing with her through the tumultuous chaos surrounding them, and she found herself relaxing and melting into his embrace. She could feel him twisting them and guiding them toward the safety of his ship, and she looked up into his face. He was concentrating purely on this task, determination and confidence oozing out of him. She felt him pull her closer as two large chunks of the wing's rubble collided together, splintered off into more broken fragments, and spun past them. She found herself instantly responding in kind and clinging to him that much harder, and he briefly glanced down at her as she did.

"Anata...wa watashitoisshoni anzendesu. Tsuneni,"* he whispered softly, his voice echoing in her helmet through the static of a radio somewhere within.

It was only then that she realized he had disconnected from the hologram, and they had left the translator in her ship. Still, she didn't need it to know what he meant. She was safe with him.

She smiled smally at him and he returned the look at her, murmuring, "Watashi ga aishite iru utsukushī egao ga arimasu...Watashitachi wa hotondo soko ni imasu, koishi."**

She raised her brow at him in silent question, and he just shook his head before refocusing on the task at hand and safely getting them back to his ship. Once they made it inside, he pressed a series of buttons on his panel, and she heard more whirring as the door closed.

Finally, he pressed a button on his suit that made his helmet disappear into a particle fog. He let out a sigh of relief, and she heard him grumble, "Orokana, o shiri no josei. Watashitachi zen'in o korosou to shite imasu. Nigeyou to shite imasu. Watashi wa anata o anzen ni tamotsu tsumori wa nai yō ni...Anata wa anata ga shitte iru bakadesu. Anata wa watashi no monodattanode, sukoshi kawatte imasen. Anata wa aikawarazu gankodesu."***

"You know I can't understand you, right?"

"Yes," he replied in his thick accent, pressing a button on her collar to remove her helmet as he had his.

"We don't have a translator anymore."

"No."

"Do you have one?"

"Yes," he replied, finding one and turning it on. "Are you alright?" she heard the translator say for him, and she nodded. "Good," he sighed, pressing the buttons on his cuffs that made his suit melted away back into them. She was surprised to see him wearing his workout uniform with the high neck and wide cut out arm holes. He removed his cuffs and placed them on the seat of his chair before whirling around.

"What the _hell_ is wrong with you?" he snapped. "You would rather _die_ than trust me?!"

"I would rather die on my own terms than on yours!"

"You aren't going to fucking die, Woman! I'm not going to let it happen," he yelled, reaching out to grab her shoulders and pulling her to him, crashing his lips to hers.

* * *

*Wife...you're safe with me. Always.

**There's that beautiful smile I love...we're almost there, darling.

***Stupid, crazy ass woman. Trying to kill all of us. Trying to run away. Like I won't fucking keep you safe...You're an idiot, you know. You haven't changed a bit since you were mine. You're as stubborn as ever.

* * *

A/N:

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHA!

Also, voting has started! So if you like the work that Saucy and I do, consider voting for this fic, or my other fic (Also nominated for Best AU and also Best Angst) One Last Ride!

I'm behind on ARs. I swear I'll make the time to do them soon (I feel like I keep saying that but that's because it's true)!

LOVE YOU ALL!

-LL


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

* * *

Chapter 18

She was shocked, to say the least...not just because he was kissing her, but because of the randomness and sheer force behind it. It wasn't anything like the gentle, timid first kiss she had thought they would share when they were in his bed after he had saved her from Haruto.

It was demanding. It was like he was trying to consume her and keep her with him, and she could taste his desperation and frustration.

It left her feeling even more confused and terrified than she already did...and when he pulled away from her, panting and satisfied, she could feel the tears in her eyes well up and spill down her cheeks.

He pulled back from her, abhorred at what he had caused. He immediately took a few staggering steps away from her, swearing under his breath.

"Kagome...I…"

She just shook her head, covering her mouth with her hands. The dam was already broken, and she just couldn't get it to stop. The stress and anxiety and absurdity of _everything_ that had happened over the last few days came crashing down on her all at once. She sunk to her knees, allowing herself to finally just _feel_.

Her whole body was trembling as tears poured down her cheeks onto the cold tile floor below. She gasped for air, her body no longer knowing how to function as she experienced an overwhelming release of her pent up emotions.

Was this what it felt like to break? To lose your mind?

"Kagome…" he whimpered, dropping to his own knees with confusion and self-loathing suddenly maring his handsome features. "I...I didn't...I wasn't…I thought..."

She shook her head, her sobs choking her as she pulled herself away from him when he tentatively reached out to her. He snapped his hand back as if he had been burned, and his ears lowered to his head. She watched him ball up his fist, his claws pricking his skin and drawing small drops of blood.

For some reason, seeing that only added to her mental and emotional despair. She instinctively reached out for him before she could stop to think about what she was doing. His brows rose in surprise as he opened his arms, allowing her to bury herself in his chest. He pulled her close, allowing her to cry as he cradled her in his lap and arms. He gently rocked her and hummed a sweet melody she couldn't recognize, and yet...it felt so _familiar_. She didn't know why, but it soothed her enough that she was no longer hyperventilating.

She was so _tired _of feeling this way - of being this scared, confused girl. She was being driven to the point of insanity where she was willing to die if it meant getting away from these people. She also wanted him...her captor and tormentor...and yet, she wanted to push him away all at the same time.

She just wanted it to stop. She _needed_ all of it to just _stop._

She needed everything to go back to what it was. She wanted to be home and safe and far away from the man who brought her the legend of the jewel…

...but how could she, when all she wanted was to have him hold her like this?

"Kagome," he breathed, reaching out to her cuffs and pressing the buttons, making them reabsorb her suit. Once it was gone, he seemed to pull her even closer before gently tilting her head to the side and exposing her neck and her birthmark to him. She watched through blurry eyes as a thousand different emotions swam through his gaze. It was like his thoughts were battling each other, and he was struggling to make a decision. Finally, he seemed to come to one...and he pressed his lips to her birthmark.

She felt a crushing wave of love and calmness wash over her, slowly soothing and relaxing her. Her sobs slowly turned into hiccups as his lips and tongue continued to work across her neck, and eventually, her breathing returned to normal.

She felt so drained - mentally, physically, emotionally...

She shivered when his fangs gently scraped against her mark and she gasped, causing him to pull away from her and withdraw back in on himself.

Why did that feel so good? Why did that make her feel so much better? And why the hell was he always kissing her _there_?

"I'm sorry," he breathed, averting his eyes in shame. "I didn't know what else to do...I didn't know how to calm you…"

She nodded and raised a shaky hand to her neck, rubbing her birthmark.

"How did you know that would calm me?" she asked nervously.

"Instinct," he replied. "It always made my wife feel better."

_Wife…_

Of _course _she was pining away after a married man.

"How long have you been married?"

"We were together for almost thirty years before she passed…"

Passed. He was a widower?

Wait..._thirty years?_ How old _was_ he?

He smiled softly before explaining that his kind aged differently from hers, almost as if he could see the questions swirling around in her mind.

"I see...how long ago did…?"

"Fifty years," he sighed, pulling her closer and dropping his head to gently nuzzle her neck by her birthmark again, breathing her in.

Was she horrible for feeling relieved?

"You smell calmer," he commented, and her cheeks flushed.

"You can smell that?"

"I can smell a great number of things," he pointedly informed her, his lips quirking up suggestively. She suddenly felt rather embarrassed. "You have nothing to be ashamed of," he soothed. "There's nothing to be embarrassed over…"

"How did your wife pass?" she asked, trying to pull the conversation away from where it was and into something less humiliating. She somehow felt she was better off not knowing all of the things he could smell or feel or sense in regards to her.

"She," he began in a whisper before pausing to gather his thoughts. "She was murdered, with our daughter…"

He had been a husband and a father...why did hearing that make her hurt for him? Why did she want to comfort him? And why did that make him feel more, for lack of a better word..._human_?

"I'm sorry…"

"As am I," he replied morosely. "She didn't deserve it. Either of them…"

"Why…?"

"Because we dared to be a family. Purtain zealots did it because of what I am. Can we perhaps—"

"—Of course…" She agreed instantly, looking up at him. She could see his pain as easily as she could feel her own.

Is that what he had meant when he said he couldn't have more? When he said he couldn't be happy? If her husband and child had been murdered for the simple crime of being linked to her, she was sure she would be a bit more hesitant too.

"Thank you. I...I'm sorry for kissing you. I thought..." he began, pausing to shake his head as his tongue seemed to trip over thoughts that he was unable to express. "I had no right," he finally breathed.

"It's ok," she reassured, and he snorted.

"It clearly wasn't."

"I...it was...not expected," she admitted nervously.

"I was out of line," he whispered, his lips quirking up remorsefully. "I never meant to...I never wanted to hurt you. I had misread a lot of things, and I'm sorry. I suppose I let my own desires get the better of me...I...I shouldn't have been so weak…"

She gazed up into his golden eyes, and she knew he meant what he had said.

"Weak?" she whispered, and he looked away from her as his ears flattened to his head. She reached up and cupped his cheek, turning him to look her in the eyes.

She searched him, staring into his beautiful golden orbs and letting herself get lost in them. Learn from them. Learn about _him. _

He was struggling with the same things she was, wasn't he? This wasn't an act he was putting on - no. He was _actually _struggling, too. He had the same desires and fears...the same wants, even. He was just as confused as she was. He was simply handling it better...but he had also had more time to process it, too.

She had just discovered that _aliens even existed_ a few days ago.

But...the fact that he was struggling with all of this...that he was just as scared as her...it was somehow comforting. It was like she wasn't going through this alone.

"Yeah," he whispered. "I had thought that...perhaps...maybe you desired me as I do you," he admitted brokenly. "I let my emotions and wants get the better of me. I shouldn't. I know better. I only hurt you...I never wanted that. I just," he sighed, leaning his head back to look at the ceiling.

"I do _desire _you," she whispered, and she saw his eyes widen. "I shouldn't...and I know I shouldn't, but I do. I just...in that moment...it wasn't…"

It wasn't that she didn't want to kiss him ever. She just hadn't wanted _that_ kiss...in _that_ moment...with _those_ emotions...it hadn't felt right. It was like it had the wrong tone to it. It was as if he was yelling at her with his lips instead of his voice.

"I understand," he replied, smiling smally.

They just sat there quietly, then...she let him hold her close, and he enjoyed the feeling of having her in his arms. She burrowed her head into his shoulder, breathing him in and taking the comfort he was offering her.

She was still confused. She still didn't want to die. She _definitely_ still didn't want this surgery...but she believed she could trust him. She wanted to, if nothing else. She wanted at least _something_ to be easy...and it felt so fucking easy to give into her gut and ignore her brain.

"What happens now?" she eventually asked, shattering the peace that had come to surround them. "After you take me back, I mean. Are you going to teach me to use the jewel?"

There was no point in denying what she knew was going to happen. He had her now. She wasn't going home.

"I think I can. I've been training for it to be used on me my whole life. It's already a part of you...I think we can do it," he admitted. "A council will meet to decide what to do," Inuyasha softly continued. "Some will likely argue for the immediate removal of the jewel. Others will probably argue to lock you up in a cell until we make it back to Inusekai. I will fight to keep you with me, as we had...with some minor stipulations, which I know you won't like. I'm asking you to agree to them, however...because continuing to stay with me is still better than the other two."

"Ok," she breathed. "Would...would they really remove the jewel from me? Right now?"

"It will never happen...but yes. They would. It won't come to that, though."

"You sound rather confident," she whispered smally.

"I have enough political clout to get what I want."

"And you want me with you?"

"Always," he replied quite seriously. She had a feeling that he was talking about more than just this trip to Inusekai, even if she hadn't been.

She pushed that thought off to the side and asked him when he was going to take her back.

"Not yet," he whispered. "Not until I have no other choice. I want to stay like this for as long as we can."

So did she.

* * *

A/N:

As always…thank you so much for reading and to everyone who has reviewed and voted for this story! I love and appreciate you all! No word on results probably until next time, but really…whoever nominated this again for best AU…I love and appreciate you!

-LL


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

* * *

Chapter 19

Kagome watched on in nervous silence as he flew them back to the ship, the cargo opening now in sight. She glanced over at Inuyasha and saw that he was just as nervous as she appeared to be. His fingers flexed as he tightly gripped and relaxed them around the steering wheel. His knuckles were bone white, and seeing that did little to help soothe the knots twisting in her stomach.

When he brought them into the opening of the ship, she saw through the windshield the rather large group of men who had gathered to greet them. It didn't take a genius to figure out what, or rather who, they were there for. She felt her heart speed up, and Inuyasha turned to look at her. His eyes shone with concern, and he hesitantly reached out a hand in an offering of silent support and comfort.

She glanced down at his claw-tipped appendange, but when she made no move to take it, he placed it back on the wheel. His ears lowered as he appeared to silently curse himself.

Once they were safely within the bay, he docked the ship and turned off the engine as the group of men surrounded them. She thought that he would have opened the doors immediately. Instead, he kept them closed and fixed his eyes on the man in front of them.

Koga.

They seemed to share a silent conversation between the two of them. Koga silently apologizing for whatever was about to happen, while Inuyasha seethed in return. He began to emit a low, rumbling growl from his chest, and he hit the steering wheel in anger and frustration.

"Inuyasha?" she quietly questioned, and he turned his attention back to her.

"They're here to take you," he replied, his voice barely loud enough to be considered a whisper. "I thought he agreed…" he continued, shaking his head.

"Take me where?" she pressed, her voice hitching.

"To a cell. They're going to keep you in the same place as that fucker," he snarled, and she gasped at the gravity of his words. They were really going to make her spend the next two months in the same place as the man who had tried to kill her?

Inuyasha shifted to face her fully and took her hands, trying to calm both himself as well as her. She could feel him trembling, and it made her heart lodge itself in her throat. "Kagome...I promise I'll get you out of there. This won't be for forever, but I'm running out of favors, and I need what's left for the council meeting. Just...just hold on until we can meet, ok? It's only a week, two at the most."

"With the man that tried to kill me…" Kagome breathed.

He winced and closed his eyes as someone knocked on the ship's door.

"They won't let you stay with me. You ran once...they think you will do it again, and I know that if given the opportunity, you would. And I don't blame you...but I promise...everything will be ok."

"You're always saying that, you know," she smiled wryly as someone knocked again.

"I always mean it," he replied, his lips quirking up ever so slightly at the edges.

"_Inuyasha! Open the door!"_

He ignored him, though.

"I'm so sorry I ruined that kiss," he whispered, his smile saddeding. "If I hadn't, maybe you would have allowed it now."

"Inuyasha…"

He sighed and shook his head, looking away from her and pressing a button to unlock the door.

"We should go before we lose another fighter. That won't help our case."

She nodded her head and allowed him to open the door, watching as he turned half around to regard her with sorrow. He held out his hand, and she stood to take it before she could ask herself why. He gave it a gentle squeeze and pulled her behind himself, almost as if he were trying to create a barrier between her and everyone else.

"Inuyasha," Koga greeted, and he nodded as his lips pressed into a thin line.

"Koga," he replied crisply. "I thought we had an agreement."

"We did...until we lost a ship in the process of your retrieval mission. The rest of the council won't budge now."

He nodded and pulled her closer to him, still keeping his body between her and the men surrounding them. "It's bullshit and you know it, Koga. You don't have to do this…"

"I don't have a choice. You know that as well as I do," he replied, his words clipped. "Just as you have no choice with her," he finished, nodding his head In Kagome's direction. She then watched Inuyasha's man bun rise as he tilted his head down in shame and despair.

"But with Haruto…"

"Not with him," Koga gently reassured. "She's going in a different one. A bit more costly in terms of supplies and energy, but I was able to convince the council to agree to it for a short time. We're going to push the meeting up from next week to in a few days."

She watched his posture relax a little, and he nodded his head slowly.

"That's good to hear…" he sighed, his words trailing off as he refused to move or let them take her.

"Inuyasha...you have to hand her over. You know that…"

"I can't, Koga…" he replied fiercely, shaking his head as he tightened his grip on her hand.

"You can. Please don't make this harder than it needs to be. If you do this willingly, think of how the other council members will react! Do everything as you should, show you are putting your people first, and they will give you what you want. You know they will...please...for her…"

"I'm always doing everything as I should," he ground out, a growl vibrating from his chest. "I'm always thinking about the greater good and putting the things I care about second!"

"Inuyasha, this isn't the time to take a stand," Koga tried, taking a step closer and instantly backing away when the growl in his chest grew in volume.

"Isn't it? If not now, then when? I'm not losing her. It's worth taking a stand to protect her."

"It's not...you aren't...you won't...please...think about this...it's just for a few days," Koga reasoned. "Perhaps it will even be good for you two. Putting a little space between you...it could be good. It could help you get your heads on straight," he tried, but Inuyasha didn't look convinced.

"Putting a little space between us is the worst thing you could do when half of the people on this ship would rather see her dead than alive," he growled. "If you take her from me, there's a chance there won't even need to be a council meeting."

"I put my best men in charge of guarding her. They won't harm her...Haku and Ginta? You know they can be trusted," Koga gently soothed, and Inuyasha's shoulders slumped.

"I can't lose her, Koga...not again…"

"I know. I promise you...you won't."

He was silent for a moment as he mulled his friend's words over.

"Can I count on you? At the council meeting?" Inuyasha finally whispered, his grip tightening around her hand before relaxing and running his thumb across her knuckles.

"Always," his friend reassured him. After another moment, Inuyasha finally turned and stepped away from Kagome. She felt him reluctantly release her hand and he pinched his eyes closed, unable to watch them take her from him.

"Inuyasha," she begged, suddenly desperately not wanting to leave him. She reached back for him and he raised his arms to wrap them around her, and she buried her face into his chest.

She didn't want to go. She couldn't go...he couldn't let them take her!

"It's just for a few days," Inuyasha whispered softly, reopening his eyes as he gave her one last tight squeeze before his grip slackened. Koga took her shoulder and gently pried her away from Inuyasha and led her from the craft.

"It will be ok," he reassured her again, gently rubbing her shoulder as tears began streaming down her face.

"I don't want to go...I want to stay with him...please…." she begged as Koga took her hands and slipped a metal doughnut around them. He pressed a button, and the doughnut unfolded outwards in either direction until her hands and forearms were squeezed together and encased in metal. It was like she was wearing a very uncomfortable and heavy sock around her hands.

"Inuyasha, please don't let them take me…" she pleaded, and he squeezed his eyes shut in pain and defeat.

"I'm sorry, Kagome," Koga smiled apologetically as she was surrounded by a group of men she had never seen before. "He has to let this happen," Koga explained in a whisper as he took her elbow and began guiding her out of the locker. "It's the only way he can get you out of there in the long run."

"Wait!" Inuyasha yelled, and Koga sighed before turning back to look at him.

"Inuyasha, I thought—"

"—I just want to say goodbye, one more time," he replied tightly. "Please, Koga."

The other man paused and mulled it over briefly before nodding, and Inuyasha rushed forward and pulled her into his arms again as she buried her face into his shoulder.

"Inuyasha...please…"

"I know...I'm so sorry," he replied, nuzzling the top of her head. She then thought she felt him place a kiss in her hair before he trailed his lips down to her ear and whispered, "Watashi wa anata no tame ni kimasu, koishii."*

She felt his hands run over her back as he breathed her in, and she desperately wanted to hold onto him too...to share in that comfort. Finally, she felt him begin to pull away, and panic gripped her chest again.

"No...Inuyasha! Inuyasha!" she cried out as he let go and Koga took her shoulder, guiding her away from him and out of the bay. They couldn't do this...they couldn't take her from him! She shrugged out of Koga's grip and tried to run back to Inuyasha, but the surrounding men easily caught her and one lifted her up and swung her over his shoulder. No!

Those fuckers! They needed to let her go back to him!

She needed to be with Inuyasha!

This wasn't right...this wasn't fair!

She wriggled and squirmed as best as she could and tried to get away from him, but he wouldn't let her go. His grip on her was ironclad, and no matter how much she kicked and screamed and begged them to put her down and release her, they wouldn't budge.

She looked up at Inuyasha one more time, and she saw that several men had gathered around him. They held onto his arms as he struggled to go to her, tears streaming down his face.

"Kagome!" he called...and something within her snapped. How dare they touch her like this? How dare they touch _him_ like this!

They had _no fucking right_!

She swore she saw red, and before she knew what was happening, she felt something overcome her. It was like she was feeding off of her anger and her fear...dipping into the well deep within the pit of her soul and pushing it outwards. Pink light exploded from her arms, and the metal prison her hands had been in exploded. It knocked her from the guard's hold, and she fell to the ground and scrambled away from him while her hands were still glowing pink.

The men surrounded her, guns trained on her as they watched her in fear.

Good.

They _should_ fucking fear her!

"Kagome," one of the men said cautiously, taking a hesitant step towards her.

How fucking _dare_ he?! She didn't know what she was doing, but it didn't matter. She was operating off of instinct now. She thrust her arms out towards him, and a ball of light shot towards him and shot him across the room and rendered him unconscious.

That's when they fired on her.

She dropped to her knees, bringing her arms up in an 'X'. This caused a barrier to form, which deflected everything they shot at her. She could absently hear Inuyasha screaming in the corner of her mind...begging everyone to stop...but she didn't think they were paying much attention to his words.

She turned to look at him - perhaps not the wisest decision, but she hadn't been filled with good decisions lately anyway.

She watched him break free from the other men and charge at the ones surrounding her. She dropped the barrier as they turned to try and restrain her, and her world went dark as a pain shot through her skull.

* * *

*I will come for you, darling

A/N:

As always…thank you so much for reading and to everyone who has reviewed and voted for this story! I love and appreciate you all! And especially Saucy for getting this done! I LOVE YOU! This guy didn't win best AU, but that's ok! I LOVE THAT YOU GUYS LOVE IT SO MUCH TO EVEN NOMINATE IT A SECOND TIME! Y'all are the best! And be sure to check out the fan art for this fic! Nartista just created a master piece for it on tumblr!

Until next time!

-LL


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe. The rest is mine.

* * *

Chapter 20

"Oh...my head…" Kagome groaned, a splitting headache throbbing behind her eyes. She slowly sat up, wincing in pain from the change in altitude as she took in her newest surroundings. It was clear that she had been brought to a cell.

She had been laying on the bottom bunk of a bunk bed, and something she could only assume was a toilet and sink was along the wall...and her new home contained nothing else. The wall opposite that was clear as if it were made of thick plexiglass, and there was a door in the center.

It was then that she realized how completely alone she was. No one was within sight. She nervously stood and placed her palms on the wall, peering out the sides as best as she could. No one. Not a soul. She moved back to the bed, sunk her body down into it, and allowed herself to cry. Her tears completely soaked the scratchy cotton-like sheets, and her heart ached and longed for something she didn't quite understand. She wished she was home, of course...but since she knew that wasn't going to happen any time soon, she just wished that she wasn't alone.

She wished that...that Inuyasha were here, too.

She missed the simple comfort of being near him. She couldn't explain why...and she was tired of trying to understand it. She was just so tired and so exhausted and completely drained from so much...but she just knew that if she was going to be forced to stay on this ship, his presence made everything a little bit brighter.

She didn't know how long she had been trapped in her cell before she saw Inuyasha enter the area. It could have been five minutes or it could have been five hours. She noticed that he had changed into the t-shirt and sweatpants she had given him, which led her to believe that he was getting ready for bed and had decided to stop by and see her first.

What puzzled her, however, was the extremely large bag he held...and she couldn't help eyeing it in curiosity.

"Hey," he greeted smally, dropping the bag as he came to stand fully in front of her.

"Hi," she whispered, wiping her tears and standing up from the bed to place her hands on the glass door. She watched as he studied her face and took in her red eyes and cheeks. He looked pained as he hesitantly raised his own hands and placed them on the opposite side so that the only thing that separated them was the thick glass.

He sighed and leaned his head forward towards hers, pressing his forehead against the glass as his ears lowered.

"I'm so sorry you're in there, Kagome," he breathed, his eyes closing as longing washed over his face.

"Me too," she smiled wryly.

"This is where they wanted to keep you when I first brought you to the ship…" he mused, and she felt her heart warm a little. He had really been going out of his way for her, hadn't he? And she had all but spat in his face.

"Looking back, I probably should have been more grateful."

"It would have been nice," he replied, his lips quirking upward ever so slightly as his eyes rapidly moved back and forth across her face as he searched it for something. "But your reaction was understandable...I just wish I could have made everything easier. I _wanted_ so badly to make everything easier...I just...I guess I just didn't know how. I thought that keeping you with me was the best thing I could do..." he finally continued ruefully, shaking his head and pushing away from the glass. She felt her heart sink.

Was he leaving already?

She didn't want to be alone again…she...she missed having him around...

She saw him bend down and open the large bag, and she raised a brow in curiosity as he took out a pillow and large soft-looking blanket.

"I brought this for you. I know the cells are pretty sparse. I thought you might be more comfortable this way," he explained nervously, and she felt her heart ache a little at his simple act of kindness.

"Inuyasha…" she breathed, her face softening before it split into an amused smile as he opened the small flap in the door she suspected the guards used to give them food. He tried stuffing the pillow through the flap, but it wouldn't fit. She found herself giggling at the look of pure frustrated determination on his face.

"I don't think it's going to fit," she grinned, causing him to look up at her. His face instantly relaxed as he smiled in response to her reaction.

"Oh, it will fit," he grinned, trying to slowly work the sides in through the small slot. "I'll get this fucking pillow in there one way or another."

"You might have an easier time if you just called the guards over and had them open the door," she snickered as he continued to unsuccessfully push the pillow through, and he paused. His expression morphed from determined, to stunned, to embarrassed. He pulled the pillow out of the slot and mumbled something about having not thought of that.

She watched him leave to find one of the guards with the quick promise to be right back, and he returned within a few minutes with one. He shot Inuyasha a nervous look, and he had to remind the guard that she was just a human girl. She wasn't going to go anywhere. Finally, the guard relented and opened the door, allowing Inuyasha to enter and bring the bag with him. She saw the guard lock the door again once he was inside, and she felt her heart leap into her throat.

There was something about knowing that they were locked in a small room together that sent her heart aflutter. She saw his ears rotate towards her, and his cheeks heated slightly.

Apparently, the same thought was affecting him as well.

"Hi," she smiled weakly at him, and he grinned bashfully back at her.

"Hi," he whispered, turning his palms out towards her. She placed her hands into his, stepping forward to rest her head against his chest. She just wanted a moment of comfort...and for some reason, she was always drawn to him for it. She felt him lean his head down and nuzzle her hair ever so slightly, breathing her in before feeling him relax.

They heard the guard outside cough awkwardly, and he pulled away from her with a deeper blush.

"I should give you the things I have for you," he told her stiffly, almost as if he didn't know how to act around her now that he had been reminded that they weren't alone.

He reached back into the bag, took out the pillow, and placed it on the bed along with the blanket. He then reached back into the bag for more things that he had brought, including some pills for her throbbing headache. She couldn't help but notice that the pillow and blanket he had brought for her were much nicer than the ones already here. They were both softer and plusher, and the blanket looked much warmer.

"I also brought these," he told her, pulling out the oversized sweater and leggings she liked and placed them on the foot of the bed. "And these," he continued, pulling out a pint of ice cream and a bottle of wine. The same ones she had asked the sozo box for the first day she had been here. "They seemed to bring you comfort," he explained nervously, and she threw her arms around his middle and buried her face into his chest as tears began to well up behind her eyelids.

She heard him swear and placed the ice cream and wine down on the bed, wrapping his arms around her.

"Ah, shit," he swore, slumping. "I didn't mean to upset you. You just seemed to like them, and I thought maybe it would cheer you up…"

"I do...they did…" she replied, her voice muffled as she pressed her face further into his chest, breathing him in. She was still on an emotional roller coaster, and she desperately wanted off.

He pulled her closer and twisted them to sit down on her bed, running his fingers through her hair and humming that same melody from earlier when she was breaking. It soothed her, and she felt her tears slowly recede. She absently heard the guard cough again, and she felt Inuyasha growl at him in response - a clear message to leave them alone for a moment. Finally, when he deemed her calm enough, he pulled away from her and placed her on the bed beside him.

"I'm sorry I keep hurting you and making you cry," he apologized. "I hate it when you cry…"

She was silent for a moment before whispering, "I think it's a good thing that I'm crying. It means I haven't completely broken, right? It means I can still feel…"

"All of the bad."

"No...that was...those were thankful tears. I'm thankful for you, Inuyasha. You've shown me a great deal of kindness since this started...and I think I'd be more broken than I am if it weren't for you."

"Kagome…" he breathed, his eyes searching hers. The heat and concern within them was unbearable, and she quickly found herself changing the subject to one she hadn't allowed herself to dwell on yet.

"So, that pink light - that's what you were talking about before, huh?"

"It was," he nodded slowly. "You remember it this time?"

She shook her head. "Yes...and I remember feeling very angry and scared before it happened. Do you think that could be a trigger for using it? Like Magneto?"

She watched his brow furrow in confusion, and she told him it wasn't important. All that mattered was that this was something they could work on...provided they ever let her out of this godforsaken hole.

"It's something to consider," he agreed, cupping the side of her face.

They heard the guard clear his throat, and she told Inuyasha that he should go. "It's not like they're forcing you to stay in here, too," she tried to joke, and he rose after a moment and picked up his large bag.

"They aren't," he agreed as she stood with him and gave him one last hug. He quickly reciprocated before she told him to go one more time, and he left her cell. The guard seemed relieved and locked her back in before leaving, and she expected Inuyasha to do the same.

Instead, he just sat down in front of her cell. She raised her brow at him in a silent question.

"I'm not _really_ going to leave you," he explained with a casual, nonchalant shrug before nervously asking, "Unless you want me to?"

"No," she smiled. "I feel better with you here."

"Then I'll stay by your side, for as long as you want me."

* * *

A/N:

Thanks as always for the amazing reviews, and thanks to Saucy for the awesome edits!

New fic coming your way in the near future – a birthday present for our wonderful Mama Bear!

Premise: When new parents Inuyasha and Kagome lose their spouses to different tragedies, they find help and support in each other…and eventually love. Still working on a title and a summary! But…expect angst, fluff, and eventual smoots!


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

* * *

Chapter 21

"Man," Inuyasha said in his heavily accented English as he placed a hand over his chest. "Woman," he continued, placing his hand over the thick glass of her cell.

He had stayed with her constantly over the last two days, hardly ever leaving her side. He even went so far as to sleep on the floor right outside of her cell. She had insisted that he go back to his room, telling him that his bed was far more comfortable than the floor. He had agreed, but then told her that as comfortable as his room might be...it was missing something, or rather _someone_, very important.

Her.

She had blushed profusely at that, but she gave him a sweet smile and thanked him for staying with her.

Truthfully, his presence had done a lot for her mentality, and she honestly believed that he was the only reason she hadn't shut down from her complete lack of control over her life and her fate. He was determined to distract her and ease her fears, keeping her attention on him rather than the strange twist her life had taken. His favorite way to keep her entertained was to either read to her or ask her to help him with his English. When he had first asked for her help, she had naturally agreed...but had then asked him why he was so interested in learning.

He had proceeded to turn bright red, and explained that he wanted to make her feel more at home. He wanted her to be able to talk to someone in her native tongue, and then have them respond in kind - beyond what the translator was already doing.

It warmed her heart.

"Good," she nodded in encouragement.

She had been surprised at how easily she had taken to the role of playing teacher, and she was even more surprised by how much she enjoyed it. Inuyasha was a very fast learner, and while his grammar was lacking, he was an excellent student. He absorbed new words and their meaning like a sponge, and he particularly enjoyed parroting her.

His sentences were still quite clunky having not yet mastered the concept of a pronoun...but they were still understandable, and she was admittedly impressed by how far he had come in such a short amount of time.

"Kagome is woman."

"Kagome is _a_ woman," she corrected, and he repeated the same sentence with the proper grammer.

"Kagome is _a_ woman...Kagome is _a_ handsome woman."

Her cheeks flushed at what he was trying to say, and she looked down.

"Kagome is a _beautiful_ woman," she corrected, placing a strand of hair behind her ear. "You say 'handsome' about men...Inuyasha is a handsome man."

"Kagome think Inuyasha is a handsome man?"

"Kagome _thinks_ Inuyasha is a handsome man," she replied, shaking her head.

"Yes? Kagome thinks true?" he asked, raising his eyebrow. Now, she felt a little trapped.

"Ah...ha...Kagome is helping Inuyasha with his English," she replied, looking down into her lap when she realized he was asking her if she really thought he was a handsome man.

"Hmmm...Inuyasha thinks Kagome thinks Inuyasha is a handsome man," he smirked as he crossed his arms over his chest, and she let out a small squeak.

"Kagome thinks Inuyasha is a _cocky_ man," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest as she closed her eyes and tilted her nose up. She cracked an eye open and smiled at the confused look he shot her before flipping through a tablet on his lap, trying to figure out what cocky meant.

He found it, and his eyes narrowed as he looked back up at her.

"Inuyasha thinks Kagome is not a nice woman."

She couldn't help but giggle, and his face softened into a grin.

"Kagome thinks Inuyasha is a cocky man...and she thinks he is a handsome man," she blushed with a smile.

She waited as he processed what she had said, and watched as his face changed from a little hurt to elated as he positively beamed.

"Inuyasha thinks Kagome is much beautiful woman," he nodded. "Inuyasha thinks Kagome is much beautiful woman in…" he trailed off, unsure of the word. He glanced back down at his tablet and began typing the word into it. "Uni-ver-sss," he beamed, proud of himself for saying a new word. She blushed harder.

"Inuyasha is very sweet for saying such nice things about me," she replied bashfully.

"Inuyasha saying…" he trailed off, struggling to express his thoughts. "Inuyasha saying what is here," he continued, placing a hand over his heart, "and here." he finished, placing a hand over his head.

"You're saying what's in your heart and mind?" she asked softly, and she watched as he absorbed her words.

"Yes," he finally nodded. "Inuyasha…" he began again, and growled in frustration when he couldn't voice what he was thinking. He looked back down at his lap and began typing again. "Inuyasha missssesss hug Kagome," he told her shyly, placing a hand back on the glass. "Inuyasha hug soon?"

His attention was immediately drawn away from her as something happened down the hall that she couldn't see. She watched him stiffen and refocus his attention back on her, pointedly ignoring what was happening at the other end of the hall.

"Inuyasha?"

"Koga," he replied, focusing his attention back on Kagome as he began to list the parts of his head from his ears to his chin.

She watched as Koga came into view as Inuyasha landed on his nose, and Koga said his name. Inuyasha ignored him until he was finished, however.

Clearly, he was upset with him.

"Inuyasha, I have to talk to you," Koga tried again in their native tongue, but Inuyasha only continued to ignore him.

"Neck...shoulder...arm…"

"Inuyasha, please...this is important," Koga growled in frustration.

"No. This Kagome time," he replied in English, and Koga raised a brow. "Koga go. Inuyasha talk Koga later. Inuyasha talk Kagome now. Inuyasha want Kagome time."

"You sound like shit," he smirked, which only raised his hackles.

"He's trying...and he's new to my language. I...I'm proud of him. He's doing better than anyone else I know. He's doing better than you could," she defended, and both men turned to her with surprised looks. Warmth spread over Inuyasha's face, and he raised his hand to the glass and gently pressed it against her cell wall.

"Kagome…" he breathed, and she looked away with a blush. "See? Inuyasha learn," he smirked back at Koga, practically preening.

"Ok...I'm sorry...but I do need to talk to you," Koga apologised. "It's about Kagome."

Inuyasha sighed and finally gave in, switching back to his native language.

"What is it?"

"The council has finally agreed to meet tomorrow morning at the 9th Toki. They thought about your request, and they will allow her to attend _provided_ there be no translator."

"They won't allow her to have a translator?" he hissed, balling his hands into fists.

"It's more than what they're allowing Haruto, and they are only allowing this because your father made the request," he explained, surprising Inuyasha.

"My father? He knows?"

"Did you really think he wouldn't?" Koga replied, raising a brow.

"I guess I should have known better," he swore.

"Hey...don't get discouraged. I'm on your side. We can convince the rest. The hardest one will be Noritaka, but it _will _be fine."

Inuyasha sighed and nodded his head. "Thank you...for your support."

"Of course, my friend," he replied, reaching up to squeeze his shoulder before turning away and leaving them.

Inuyasha looked down at the floor for a long while before looking up at her and trying to put a smile back on his face.

"Tomorrow, then?" she pressed as he opened his mouth to say something, stopping him.

He sighed before confirming, "Yeah...we meet tomorrow."

She nodded and looked down at the edge of her shirt, worrying the fabric between her fingers. So, tomorrow was it...they would meet to decide if she lived or died...it felt weird to think about.

"Hey," he soothed, pressing his hands against the glass. "We will get the numbers."

"And if you can't?" she demanded, and she watched his eyes flick back and forth across her face.

He looked like he wanted to tell her something, but he was being held back. Instead, he just shook his head and reiterated what he had just said.

"We _will_ get the numbers."

* * *

A/N:

As always…thank you so much for reading and to everyone who has reviewed…and to the person who nominated this guy for best AU AGAIN! Maybe this time? As they say…third time is the charm? But really…I love and appreciate you all! And especially Saucy for getting this done!

New fic coming your way in the near future – a birthday present for our wonderful Mama Bear! (and the rough draft for the entire fic is DONE for once!)

_**Title: Picking Up the Pieces**_

_**Summary: Kagome and Inuyasha have both lost their spouses due to different calamities. As the parents of newborns, they now find themselves coming together to raise their children through sheer necessity, and learn to create a new family from the ashes of tragedy.**_

It's a story about loss and finding strength and accepting help from those around you, and about falling in love.

Until next time!

-LL


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

* * *

"You're sure you can't keep it on?" Kagome pleaded one more time as Inuyasha turned the translator over in his hands, palming it.

"I can't," he smiled sadly as the council members began entering the room. A tall man dressed in navy blue robes with incredibly pale skin and shoulder length lilac hair cut in a straight line paused before them, his red eyes jumping from Inuyasha to Kagome. She felt his eyes skim her body, and he sneered at her before opening the door and walking through.

That wasn't an encouraging look, and she felt the knots in her stomach twist anxiously. Her heart sped up and she wrung her hands together nervously as the door closed behind the man.

"Hey," Inuyasha murmured, taking her hands and pulling her closer. "I promise the jewel won't be removed before we're ready."

"How?" she whispered, unable to look him in the eyes. "How can you promise that?"

"I told you...I have enough political clout to keep you safe," he reassured her.

"But what does that mean?" she pressed, biting her lip. His eyes rapidly scanned her face as he seemed to mull something over.

"It means I know how to get what I want...and what I want is you by my side," he gently soothed, but it did little to ease her frayed nerves. His face softened when he saw that she wasn't calming, and he gently squeezed her hands. "Some of our traditions are too important to overlook, even in a time of war."

"And what tradition is that?"

"Kagome...I..." Inuyasha murmured hesitantly, pulling her closer as a man in green walked past them and paused to give Inuyasha a sympathetic smile.

Inuyasha caught it and flushed, letting go of her hand with a light squeeze and stepping away from her. That was the most they had been able to touch since she had been thrown into the cell...and she was surprisingly disappointed that they hadn't been able to at least hug since she had been allowed out. Instead, when two men came to escort her to the meeting, Inuyasha had put distance between them instead of embracing her like she had assumed he would.

"We should go in - we're going to begin in a moment."

"Ok," she whispered, and she watched him turn off the translator and pocket it in his robes.

It was still strange seeing him in these formal council robes. He was still dressed in red, and the overall look reminded her of a Victorian Lord crossed with a Catholic Cardinal because of the long draping fabric and the necklaces and embellishments he wore. It was a far different look from what she was used to - which was sleek, streamlined, and utilitarian.

With the way he was complaining about them when she first saw him, she took it that he wasn't that fond of the new look either. When she had asked him why he was wearing it and commented on how outdated it looked, he had simply shrugged. He explained that they might have come a long way as a civilization, but some traditions had been maintained over the last few thousand years, for better or worse. His clown suit was one of them.

Now, she felt puzzled over the new tradition he was about to explain to her. She wished he had gotten to tell her! If it could save her life, she felt like she deserved to know.

He half raised his hand as if to ask for hers before dropping it back to his side again with a sigh. He then tilted his head toward the door.

"Come," he said in his heavily accented English, and she nodded her understanding and walked through the door as he held it open for her. She was still so confused as to why he wasn't touching her like he had told her he wanted to. Hadn't he just said the day before that he missed being able to "hug" her? There had to be a reason for this…

She mentally shook herself and refocused on the situation at hand instead of his odd behavior.

She felt like she was walking into an evil villain's conference room...if said villain had a conference room in space. There was a large circular table in the center of the room with sixteen chairs surrounding it. One of the walls of the room was almost completely clear from the amount of windows, allowing her to see the stars streaking past them as they moved onward toward Inusekai.

Inuyasha led her to one and motioned for her to sit as Koga entered. She noticed the two men share a pointed look as he sat down on the other side of the table. One final member entered and looked around before closing the door and sitting at one of the many open spots left.

The man with the purple hair from earlier then rose, crossing one arm over his chest and holding the other out to the side as he bowed to Inuyasha and said something with the barest hint of a smirk. Inuyasha simply nodded back to him, and the purple haired man straightened and reached into the pocket of his robe to pull out a black disk that he then slid to the center of the table. The sides lit up and appeared to connect with an inverted black pyramid in the ceiling that she hadn't noticed before. The sides glowed with white lights in a pattern that absently reminded her of a circuit board.

A light shot out from the tip, and a very realistic hologram appeared and filled in the remaining seats with, who she could only assume were, other council members.

The man with the purple hair crossed his arms over his chest and repeated the same greeting Inuyasha had given his father a few days before, and she absently noticed that he was not among the members of the council. She couldn't help but wonder if there was a reason for that…

The purple haired man then began talking, and it felt as if he were setting up a case. When he was finished, he sat back down at the table and laced his fingers together as the men around her began to ask questions and voice their own opinions. She snuck a glance at Inuyasha, trying to figure out what was going on...but his face was unreadable. It was as if he had a mask in place.

She wished she knew what he was thinking. She wished she knew what they were _saying_.

Finally, Inuyasha spoke...slowly, carefully, and deliberately.

The purple haired man immediately replied, a chilling smile gracing his lips as he smugly informed the men around them of something that caused their eyes to widen in surprise and whisper to their neighbors. She saw Inuyasha's jaw clench and twitch in response, and she nervously worried her hands.

Whatever he said...it didn't look good.

Finally, Inuyasha replied to him in a cold voice, but he didn't seem to deny anything the man had claimed. He turned to give Koga a livid look. She saw him give a small shake of his head, almost as if he were denying an unspoken accusation, and Inuyasha gave the smallest of nods in reply.

Inuyasha seemed to believe Koga, and he relaxed slightly before trying to reason with the men. His voice was calm and sounded logical...but the purple haired man laughed, holding the back of his hand to his mouth. He was mocking something, and she noticed Inuyasha's hand tighten around his leg and his claws dig into his robes. She nervously reached out and took his arm and hand to stop him from hurting himself, and that only seemed to egg the purple haired man on further.

Inuyasha squeezed his eyes shut and took her hands between both of his, giving them a light squeeze before putting it back down into her lap.

"No," he told her in his thick English. She bit the inside corner of her mouth, gnawing the flesh there between her teeth.

Inuyasha replied calmly, but there was fire in his eyes as he began to look around the room and address each of the men there. He seemed to ask each one a question, and they all looked away from him in shame as he delivered a great, passionate speech.

When he was finished, he stared back at the man with the purple hair who simply rose and took a small, round, gold box out of his pocket. It had ornate carvings covering it in their language. He made a brief reply to Inuyasha's speech and slid the box across the table to Inuyasha. He deftly caught it and opened the box.

Inside were two golden objects that reminded her of almonds...only much smaller and with sharper tips. They were almost the size of teeth. Fangs...that's what she was absently reminded of. Inuyasha's fangs. She noticed that they too were covered in some sort of patterned work and had shimmering jewels of some sort embedded into them, and she craned her neck to get a closer look at them.

Inuyasha noticed what she was doing, and he snapped the lid to the box shut with a blush and slid the box back across the table to the man with a huff. The man caught it and slid it back, his words dripping with false honey as he seemed to insist Inuyasha take the box. He briefly glanced at Kagome and then back down to the box before hesitantly pocketing it.

She gave Inuyasha another curious look when she saw him glance at her out of the corner of his eye, but he ignored it as other members of the council began speaking again. The man in green who had given them the sympathetic look from before spoke up, and a low murmur of agreement washed across the table.

Finally, it seemed like they were ready to take a vote.

The inverted pyramid in the ceiling sent down a new image with what appeared to be two questions, and the council members reached under the table to press a button. After a moment, there were seven responses for each of the questions, and the man in green spoke up as if to remind the members that they could not abstain from the vote.

The men looked around at each other and murmured, as if they were trying to figure out who had not yet voted.

The purple haired man leaned forward on the table, lacing his hands together in front of his mouth as he gave Inuyasha a very pointed look. Slowly, deliberately, he unlaced his fingers and placed his hand under the table to cast the final vote.

Inuyasha let out the smallest of gasps, and his face seemed to slacken in shock before hardening into suspicion.

The members of the council also looked more than a little miffed, and they glanced between each other in surprise.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome whispered, her question hanging in the air.

What had happened?

"Good," he replied, still unable to remove his eyes from the purple haired man.

"Good?" she repeated hopefully.

"We wait," he confirmed in his signature thick English, and the man in green moved the conversation along so they could place another vote. This one went much faster than the first one, and Inuyasha seemed relieved.

"Much good," he reassured Kagome in a whisper once all of the results were in.

_Much good..._did that mean things had gone the way they had wanted it to? She didn't want to get her hopes up, but spending the next two months in that cell was really rather unappealing.

"What happened?" she asked in a nervous whisper.

"You with me," he replied, still eyeing the purple haired man cautiously. "You do things."

The things he had mentioned she wouldn't like…

She nodded her head in understanding, telling the twisting in her gut to stop it. Whatever the stipulations were, it was pretty obvious at this point that she wouldn't have a choice in them.

The council meeting continued so as to determine what to do about Haruto, and the rest of the meeting seemed to fly by. When they were finished, the council members all rose and crossed their arms in farewell. Inuyasha slipped his hand into his pocket and took out the translator, turning it back on with a low sigh.

"Well," she asked as soon as it had booted up.

"You're going to stay with me," he reassured her, and she smiled softly in relief. "You're going to have to wear something, though...and so will I. It's going to be delivered to our quarters later."

_Our quarters_. That left her feeling funny...a little tingly, even...and she definitely blushed a little.

He paid her no mind, however, and stiffened as the purple haired man came over to talk to them.

"Noritaka," Inuyasha greeted stiffly.

"Inuyasha," he smirked. "I do believe congratulations are in order. Have you given your..._companion_ the good news yet?"

"She is aware that the council has voted to allow her to stay with me."

"_Quite_ wonderful, isn't it?"

"Indeed," he agreed, subtly angling himself to create a slight barrier between herself and the man known as Noritaka.

"I must be going...but I _do_ hope you will enjoy my..._gift_ to you," he smirked, causing Inuyasha to pale. "Congratulations again, Kagome."

He turned to leave, but before he could, Inuyasha reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Why?" he whispered, causing Noritaka to pause.

"I have done you a great favor on this day, Inuyasha. I trust that you will remember this in the future," he replied with a calculating smile before nodding his head towards Kagome and leaving.

"Inuyasha?" she breathed nervously.

"Let's get you back," he replied with a shake of his head, placing a hand over the box from Noritaka in his pants pocket. "I want to change out of this fucking costume."

* * *

AN: _**This fic is once again up for best AU/AR! **_If you enjoy this fic, please consider voting for it at the feudal connection on Tumblr! Voting is open now! Third time is charm? Maybe?

Chapter** 23 is due to be released publicly on Aug 26, but you can catch teasers and find out how to read it early on my tumblr!**


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

* * *

Chapter 23

"What's happening with Haruto?" Kagome finally asked once Inuyasha closed the door to their quarters.

It still felt weird to call them that..._their quarters_. She _was_ staying here with him, though...so there really wasn't a better way to phrase it, was there?

"He won't be of concern, don't worry."

"That's not really an answer..." she replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

He simply shook his head, a wry smile gracing his lips as he reached into his robes and took out the little golden box that he had gotten from Noritaka and gently laid on the table. He then began removing the many embellishments holding his robe closed, starting with the necklaces.

"Help me?" he asked shyly, and she nodded as she nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before helping to unbutton the sashes going across his chest. As she removed them, she tossed them one by one into the sozo box. When she completed that, she took his hand and unbuttoned the cuff of his puffy left sleeve before moving on to the right one.

She made to move away from him when she finished, but he caught her wrist and gently pulled her back to him. He gingerly reached out to her hands and gently intertwined their fingers, pressing their palms together.

"Inuyasha miss Kagome," he tenderly admitted in his thickly accented English, his cheeks pinkening slightly as he smiled bashfully at her. "Inuyasha happy Kagome here."

"Kagome is happy to be with Inuyasha," she replied softly, stepping closer to him and nervously resting her head on his chest. She could hear the beat of his heart, and she let the sound soothe her. Kagome couldn't help but smile at how it sped up at her close proximity. She had to admit, though...it felt wonderful being able to do this again. It felt like she was being welcomed back into a safe place, which was something she hadn't felt in days.

She felt him rest his head on top of hers and heard him deeply inhale.

"I was so worried," he admitted, switching back to his language. She felt him softly nuzzle the top of her head. "I knew Noritaka would be difficult...but I never imagined…"

"What…" she began nervously, swallowing hard and tilting her head to look back up at him. "What was he fighting for?"

"He wanted the jewel removed immediately..."

She wished she was surprised, but with how intense that meeting was and the way Inuyasha went back and forth with him, she wasn't. What was surprising was knowing that he was the swing vote.

"He wants a favor from you?"

"Unknown and to be redeemed at a later date," he confirmed. "Doesn't matter, though," he sighed, running his hands nervously up her arms and to the back of her neck to tangle his fingers into her hair. "I don't care. If it's the price I have to pay to have you here, I'll pay it."

"Inuyasha…" she breathed, her eyes rapidly scanning his face.

"I...I'd do anything for you…" he admitted softly, and she believed him. After the last few days...it was hard not to.

"I know," Kagome whispered back, moving her head closer to his. "I believe you."

"Kagome…" he replied, lowering his gaze a bit as his eyes filled with longing. "I...would you let me...can I try kissing you again?" he asked nervously, and she didn't reply. Instead, she decided to take what happened to her into her own damn hands for once.

Literally.

Kagome reached up to his cheeks and pulled him down to her, softly brushing her lips against his. She heard Inuyasha's breath hitch in surprise before he leaned into it, gently working his lips against hers. This was what she had wanted last time...the hesitant gentleness of his lips caressing hers, memorizing the feel of their flesh working together to send electricity running through her.

This was definitely not full of the punishing anger she had received before. She never wanted to think about that reprimand of a kiss again...and with as wonderful as this felt, she didn't think she would.

It soothed her. Excited her. Made her yearn for more as he worshiped her.

Kagome parted from him with a sigh to breathe. Yes, this was _exactly_ what she had wanted. She tilted her head back up in a silent request for more, and Inuyasha willingly dipped back down to tenderly take her lips between his own again. She passively noticed him untangle one of his hands from her hair and bring it down to her lower back, pressing her closer to him. Kagome felt a satisfied mewl ripple out from her throat at the sensations running through her, and he pulled ever so slightly away from her.

"Totemo koishikatta, anata…watashi no koishii…*" his words barely louder than the rush of breath they came out in, fanning across her skin in a hot wave. She leaned back up to him, not yet done feeling his lips against hers. She didn't care that she couldn't understand his words. She just wanted to feel him.

Savor him.

Savor this sweet moment that only they shared together.

A low rumbling vibrated out from Inuyasha's chest as his lips brushed against hers, almost like he was telling her how pleased and satisfied he was with what they were doing. She also felt clawed fingers grip her shirt tighter, almost as if he were in disbelief that this was real.

It was like he didn't believe that she was finally allowing him to do this...and that she was _enjoying _it...

She encouraged him and reassured him with her touch. She ran her fingers up and down his back, slowly memorizing the feel of him under the billowing fabric of his robe. She whimpered into his mouth, encouraging him. She teasingly grazed her lips against his, pulling away only enough to disappoint before taking Inuyasha's lips back with her own.

Finally, Kagome parted from him by tilting her head down slightly as she panted breathlessly. She felt him press his forehead to hers as he tried to remember how to breathe, and a satisfied smile broke out across her face.

"How…was that better?" he asked, his words coming out in puffs as he panted.

A childish, giddy smile broke out across her face, and she pulled back slightly to look at his hopeful expression.

"It was," she replied earnestly, and she was rewarded with a guileless grin.

"I liked it more, too," he admitted timidly, his cheeks flushing as he continued. "Would you maybe...like to do that again sometime?" he asked, and she giggled at the sweet but hopeful innocence of his question.

She only grinned back and leaned up to place another chaste kiss to his lips, making his smile grow.

"Yes. If it's like that, I would."

His smile only widened, and he mumbled something about changing before the medic arrived and began tugging at his robes to remove them. She squeaked and turned around, still in disbelief that he was so comfortable doing that, and she suddenly heard the rustling of fabric stop.

"Kagome...does this bother you?"

"I'm surprised it doesn't bother _you_," she replied, clasping her hands in front of her. He was silent as he seemed to mull her words over before carefully picking his own.

"I have no reason for it to bother me."

"It doesn't bother you to change in front of a woman you hardly know?"

A heavy silence fell over them, and when he placed a hand on her shoulder, she nearly jumped out of her skin. He guided her to turn around, dressed once more in his military clothes.

"Then let me know you. I'd like to have dinner with you...will you come with me?" he asked hopefully, his eyes betraying his nerves.

"We've had dinner before," she teased, unable to help herself. He smiled, glancing down at the floor before looking back up into her eyes.

"We have...but I...I'd like to court you, if you'd let me."

A knock came from the door, startling them. He swore harshly under his breath...something about poor timing and if it was Koga, he was going to gut him. His ears lowered as he seemed to deflate, going to the door to open it.

"Inuyasha?" she called out as he was about to open it, and he looked back at her. "How about tonight?"

She could only watch as her words slowly sunk into him, and his ears rose as a giant smile broke out across his face.

"Tonight is perfect," he agreed before opening the door and welcoming in the two men standing outside.

She instantly recognized Koga, but the other she had never met before. She watched in amusement as Inuyasha aggressively pulled his friend into the room by his shoulders, leaning down to animatedly whisper something into his ear.

A smile slowly broke out across Koga's face. He shoved Inuyasha's shoulders playfully before reaching back for him, throwing an arm around his neck and pulling him down to give him a noogie between his ears. Inuyasha grumbled in annoyance, and she giggled as his ears flattened under the assault. Inuyasha broke away from him but was smiling, and Koga reached out to his shoulders and pulled him close as they leaned their foreheads together.

She could only assume that Inuyasha had told Koga that she had agreed to go on a date with him...and that they had kissed moments before. The way they were acting like two high school boys...it warmed her heart to see that sweet innocence and excitement.

The other man simply seemed uncomfortable. It was like he didn't know how to react to the two of them, and finally they broke apart when he coughed awkwardly.

Inuyasha reached back and scratched his neck uncomfortably, a dark blush staining his cheeks as he introduced the medic to her.

"This is Hyousuke," he explained, introducing her to the blond man before her. He shared the same golden eyes as Inuyasha...yet, she found herself absently thinking that Inuyasha's were nicer. "You've met him a few times before, but you weren't conscious for it," he continued, his ears lowering.

"I'm here to bind you to your…" he trailed off, glancing at Inuyasha. He narrowed his eyes at the man, and Hyousuke sighed. "...guardian," he finished, walking further into the room and placing what looked like a metal briefcase onto the table.

Kagome shot Inuyasha a questioning look, but he refused to meet her gaze. She watched Hyousuke pick up the gold box from Noritaka and smirked at Inuyasha.

"Can we move your..._box_, sir?"

Inuyasha grumbled something the translator couldn't pick up, but it made Hyousuke's smirk widen into an amused grin. Inuyasha snatched the golden container from him, pocketing it and continuing to refuse to look at her as he blushed deeply.

Kagome shifted her focus from Inuyasha's strange behavior back to Hyousuke as he opened the briefcase, revealing two cuffs in egg foam padding and different instruments.

She glanced back over to Inuyasha, and his eyes were filled with concern as he watched her. "What is all of this?" she whispered nervously, biting her lower lip.

"This is what will bind you two together. Don't worry...it's far less permanent than marriage," Hyousuke joked, delighting in the way she blushed this time. "One of these cuffs will go on you, and the other will be on Inuyasha. They will not be removed until you reach Inusekai and the jewel has been extracted from you. The cuffs are quite simple - if you wander too far away from Inuyasha," he explained, nodding towards him, "you will feel a debilitating shock run through your system."

"_What?!"_

Hyousuke began to explain the cuffs to her again and she started backing away, shaking her head.

"You're putting a shock collar on me?" she demanded, shooting Inuyasha a withering look.

"I told you that you wouldn't like it...but it's either this, or the cell…"

"_A shock collar?"_

"It's a cuff," he sighed, running his hands through his bangs.

"Fine. A shock _cuff_. I'm just going to be randomly shocked? What if I have to pee? Do you need to follow me into the bathroom?"

"If you would have let Hyousuke finish, he would have told you that you still have a wide range of freedom. So, no...I won't need to follow you into the bathroom," he crisply informed her, his cheeks reddening. "It also makes a warning sound when we get too far apart, so it's not a random shock. You can make your way back to me before it goes off."

Oh my God...they were _serious_. They were really going to put this thing on her!

"I don't want this," she pleaded, resting her hands on his shoulders. "Please...Inuyasha...I don't want to be treated like I'm an...an _animal_. I'm a _human being_...please don't let him do this to me…"

He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her, bringing her into a tender hug as he tucked her head under his chin.

"Please...I can't…"

She felt his whole body slump against hers.

"No, Inuyasha," Koga spoke up firmly. "You can't give in. This was the deal."

"Fuck the deal," he snarled. "Isn't there something else we can do?"

"No...you can't go against the council! You're on thin ice as it is," Koga reminded him, his tone brokering no room for argument. She tightened her grip on him in response, which caused him to react in kind. "Inuyasha…"

"Why is it always me and mine?" he responded lowly. "Why must _we_ always pay the price? Haven't we given up enough? Haven't I given enough to this _fucking cause_? When can I finally say enough is enough? When I'm being poked and pricked and losing my _fucking_ mind?"

"Inuyasha, it's a compromise…"

"She's terrified, Koga!" he shot back, a growl rising up from his chest. She felt him readjusting his grip on her, and she lifted her face to look at him. "Would you force Ayame to do it?" he demanded, and Koga looked away in shame.

"Ayame doesn't have the jewel in her, Inuyasha."

"And if she did?"

"Then I would abide by the council's ruling. It's better than having her locked in a cell for the next two months, Inuyasha," he reminded his friend, and she felt Inuyasha sigh.

"Koga…"

"Inuyasha," he replied firmly. "The council sent me to make sure that their ruling is upheld. I don't want to restrain anyone, but I will," he finished in a clear warning.

She saw Inuyasha pinch his eyes shut and his ears lower to his head.

"This is war, Inuyasha...we can't afford to be soft."

"I can't hurt her," he whispered brokenly.

"Then never leave her side. That's all the cuff is ensuring."

A suffocating silence covered them, smothering them and making it hard for her to breath as Inuyasha allowed his friend's words to roll around in his head.

"Inuyasha?" she prompted after a moment, pulling away from him...and her heart sank when he refused to look her in the eye.

"I'll never leave you," he whispered, his ears still pressed flat to his head, "but he's right. This is a compromise, and if we don't do it, they are going to put you back into that cell. This gives us more freedom than that will. Please...I swear I'll make it up to you. I'll find a way, I promise. You aren't an animal...you're so much more than that…"

She saw the pain on his face clear as day, and she swallowed hard. He didn't want this any more than she did - that was her only solace.

"You'll never leave my side?"

He nodded his head, his ears slowly starting to unfold as he regarded her again.

"Never. I'd never hurt you...I'll never hurt you…"

She took a shaky breath, believing him.

"Put it on."

*I've missed you so much, wife...my sweet darling…

* * *

A/N: As always...THANK YOU SAUCY FOR YOUR HARD WORK! And find out how you can read the next chapter! Details are plastered all over my tumblr - you can find info on THAT in my profile! AND OF COURSE thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed! You help inspire and push me to keep going!

Also, as an update...we didn't win best AU again. Whomp whomp...but we did win best NSFW for _Dangerous_, so...Check it out of you want some canon divergent sexy times! Thank you to everyone who voted! YOU ROCK!

AND THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT IN GENERAL!

Next chapter goes live 9/16.

Till then!

-LL


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Inuyasha universe, but I sure do love playing with them. The rest is mine.

* * *

Chapter 24

Kagome turned around to look at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, and she smiled wryly.

Hadn't she just done this just the other day to go out with Haruto? Now, she was doing it with Inuyasha...and she shook her head, banishing thoughts of Haruto from her mind as the bathroom light danced off of the gold cuff on her arm. Correction: her _gold shock collar_. It wasn't aesthetically unappealing - it was just a simple cuff about two inches wide that clung to her skin.

It was weird thinking that she was tethered to him now...and yet...in a roundabout way, hadn't she already been? Or rather, hadn't she tethered him to her? She had put a "collar" on him, quite literally, before he had her. He didn't even have a warning before she could hurt him. Didn't this just...even the playing field? Make them both equals? If she looked at it like that, it became a bit more palatable to wear the cuff.

She rolled her eyes and placed it behind her back, not wanting to dwell on it. She didn't want to think about that, or Haruto and that wreck of a date...

She wanted to focus on the pure, unadulterated joy on Inuyasha's face when she agreed. She wanted to think about how he had happily celebrated with his friend. She wanted to think about that tender first (but really second) kiss. She wanted to enjoy the excited butterflies she felt flying around in the pit of her stomach.

She gathered up her hair onto the top of her head, scrunching up her face as she tried to decide if she liked how that looked. She didn't think Inuyasha cared, though. He was drawn to her when she was just wearing a sweatshirt and leggings...and they had such different customs when it came to fashion anyway, so really, this was all for her…

Kagome gave herself a mental nod and decided to just go for it and put her hair up. It drew more attention to her neck and chest anyway, and that's what she was going for, right? Why else wear this off the shoulder little black dress? She loved the way it clung to her every curve, and the chiffon draping knotted sleeves were so cute…

Thank you, sozo box! She would have loved this dress on Earth, but she would have never spent the money on it.

She quickly threaded her long, gold bar dangle earrings into her lobes, slipped on her heels, and opened the bathroom door before she could continue to second guess everything.

She caught Inuyasha rapidly typing something on a glass tablet splayed across his lap, and he paused the second the door opened. He looked up at her and his face instantly softened as his jaw dropped ever so slightly when he saw her. He tossed the tablet off to the side and rose, coming to stand before her.

"Kagome…" he breathed, unable to take his eyes away from her, and she glanced down bashfully.

She couldn't help but notice that he had taken the time to freshen up as well. He had taken care to braid his long silver locks, and he wore a strange black and red color blocked jacket that was in no way similar to his military uniform. His black pants clung to him perfectly, yet they looked soft and rather comfortable.

He hesitantly held out his hands and she placed hers into them, taking a step closer to him as he rubbed his thumb across her knuckles.

"Kagome is a beautiful woman," he murmured in his signature thick English, and she felt her cheeks redden at the attention.

"Inuyasha is a handsome man," she replied huskily, and he grinned stupidly back at her in response before his expression changed and he seemed to clam up.

"Will you let me kiss you?" he asked nervously, and she found herself smiling even harder than she already was.

"Before we even start the date?" she teased, and his ears lowered as he looked away, not understanding that she had been joking. "Hey," she whispered, letting go of his hand to reach up and cup his face, turning him back towards her. She tilted her head up ever so slightly, softly pressing her lips to his in a warm, chaste kiss.

When she pulled away from him a few seconds later, she couldn't help but giggle at the awestruck look plastered across his face.

"So...dinner?" she asked, and he nodded dumbly.

"D-dinner. Yeah. S-shall we?"

"We shall."

* * *

"This is beautiful," she breathed, walking out into the empty observation deck. A soft jazz-like music filled the room, making her smile at the mood he was trying to create for her. It sounded a bit ethereal, and she asked if it had come from Inusekai. He blushed and told her it was, and nervously mentioned that he hoped she liked it. She just squeezed his hand and reassured him that she did.

He had gone through so much trouble for her…

This was what Haruto had wanted to do with her...but he had failed miserably at it. Possibly because he hadn't really tried...possibly because he didn't have the same influence Inuyasha did on the ship.

As she stepped into the room, she noticed that it was empty except for a table. It held an exotic arrangement of flowers in the middle, and she was surprised to see food from Earth spread out on it. Seeing her confusion, he explained that he didn't want to upset her stomach with Inusekai delicacies. Instead, he had been trying to take some of the information they had learned from the internet to give her a little bit of Earth.

She just grinned at him and walked toward the wall next to the table. It, like the meeting room from earlier that day, was covered in floor to ceiling windows that allowed them to look at the stars.

"Inuyasha," she breathed, placing a hand on the window and looking back at him. He came to stand beside her and offered her his hand.

"I want to show you something," he grinned, and she allowed him to lead her to the window in the far corner of the room. "There," he pointed, his finger landing just under a small ball in the distance with a ring around it.

"Saturn?" she gasped.

"Mhm..." he confirmed as she stared at the small, warm colored spec. It was like she was in a trance, unable to move her eyes away from the sight. No one..._no one_ from Earth had ever seen these planets in the way she was being able to see them.

She turned around to thank him and jumped at how close he was to her, placing a hand on her chest.

"Sorry," he apologized, taking a step back from her. "I didn't mean to startle you. I just love watching you see these things. The look of awe and wonder on your face...it reminds me of when I first started traveling."

She felt her expression melt into a warm smile, and she asked him to tell her about it. He nodded and began, leading her to sit down at the table and eat. He had been young - a boy in his early teens when his father had decided that he was old enough to begin his time on a ship, taking his training to the next level. He was tested physically and mentally, pushed to his limits and then beyond. Kagome could feel her heart shatter when she asked what that entailed, and he began to explain what they had forced him to do.

He had been placed into isolation chambers where they had changed the environment, forcing him to endure burning and freezing temperatures while he meditated for days on end. He had become emaciated from lack of food and water as he tried to hone his mind, allowed to do nothing but focus on this one task. He admitted that he had almost broken a few times...but he knew he had to keep going. He knew what this meant...so he persevered. He wouldn't allow himself to be beaten.

His physical training had been barbarous too. He told her about the time he had broken his right arm sparing, and how he had been made to keep going with the left. He told her about the different planets he had been taken to, simply so that he could become stronger by fighting in different gravities and environments.

He had been to well over a hundred different planets by now from this and in search of the jewel, but he described the wonder and awe he felt those first few times...the beauty he saw in each new place, despite what he would be forced to do every time.

"You're incredible," she murmured in awe, tears prickling her eyes. His ears perked up at her words.

"Oh?"

"To have survived everything you have...and to still be as caring and tender as you have been with me...to have maintained this beautiful, sweet innocence...you're amazing," she explained, blinking to banish the burning sensation she felt.

He looked down at the table bashfully, his cheeks reddening from her admiration and praise before his eyes filled with sorrow.

"Thank you," he mumbled, unable to look back up at her.

"You don't believe me," she observed, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"I think I'm not worthy of such high praise from you," he finally confessed, looking back up at her. "I've done things...things that can't be undone…" he sighed and looked away in shame, his ears flattening to his head. "I've done things to you...I've hurt you, ruined your life, and...and a part of me has been glad for it, because if I hadn't, I never would have stood a chance for getting to know you."

"Inuyasha…"

"I'm not the good person you think I am, Kagome. I'm not worthy of your praise. I wish more than anything that I were, though."

She reached across the table, grabbing his hands and startling him.

"You stayed by my side for two whole days when I was imprisoned, never once leaving...not even to sleep in a bed. You kept me company and you kept me sane. You brought me things to make my stay more bearable. You've kept me safe, protected me, fought for me, and rescued me...how are you not deserving of my praise? How do you not see the goodness in you that has somehow thrived despite _everything _you've been through? You've led such a hard life, Inuyasha. Your sweet goodness is extraordinary. It's...it's like a tree growing on the side of a rocky mountain peak. Remarkable."

"Kagome, I—"

She cut him off, standing up from the table to lean over it and press a gentle lingering kiss to his cheek. When she sat back down, she grinned bashfully at his awestruck expression and the way he cupped the side of his face shakily - like he couldn't believe she had just bestowed upon him some great gift.

Now she knew why affection affected him as much as it did - because he had led a hard life which had, against all odds, molded him into the beautiful being before her.

He gave her a nervous, shy smile, and she swore he was going to ask her to do it again...but he must have changed his mind at the last second, deciding to not press his luck as he closed his mouth with a snap. Each little act of affection she bestowed upon him he seemed to treasure like a king and his gold.

"Thank you," he breathed instead, and she twisted a little on her seat under the warmth of his gaze as she felt her heart melt.

To distract herself from the overwhelming conversation they had just shared, she asked him to tell her more about what he would do if he weren't training to be the perfect vessel for the jewel. She already knew the answer, but she didn't care, and she listened as he told her about how he would love to study another planet up close and learn everything he could about it.

He told her how he would love to hear the purple, singing trees of Coloca* in the spring, bathe in the freezing springs of Isyrate*, or visit Oceatar* to dive for tarxa* with the people of Asharka*. When she tilted her head to the side, he explained that the tarxa were like these little oysters that created little balls of energy, and their meat tasted like sweet coconut. There was a great harvest each year where the locals would dive into the green waters of their planet and search them out.

More than anything, though...he wanted to go to a planet that they knew little about and educate himself on it.

Like Earth.

Earth was perfect to him. It had a thriving, primitive species on it, and he wanted to learn everything he could...from its history to its technology. He was simply fascinated.

She couldn't help but absently wonder what it would be like if he did...what would it be like for Inuyasha to come to Earth and stay with _her_?

She mentally shook her head, banishing that thought from her mind as she felt herself flush. She wasn't going to daydream about the look of wonder and joy he would get on his face when she took him through the city or to the museum where she was working...or had worked? She had probably long since been fired from her role as a curator, but she didn't want to think about that right now.

Oh how he would _love_ their museum...it was everything he was dreaming of - a compilation of history and artifacts where he could learn about their culture and past, both good and bad.

Instead, she focused on replying to him when he asked her about her family. She told him about her mother and grandfather and brother...and how her father had passed when she was young. Her mother had never been able to move on and never dated another man, let alone remarried.

"I understand that pain…" he whispered, his eyes turning soft and his smile turning sad.

Of course.

His late wife and daughter...who had been _murdered_.

"Tell me about her," she asked, placing her hands atop the table, palms up. He glanced down at them, gently placing his own over them.

"What do you want to know?" he replied quietly, avoiding looking her in the eyes.

"I don't know...everything you're willing to share, I guess. What was she like? How did you meet? How old were you when you met?" she prompted, her thoughts trailing off.

"Well," he began, his breath coming out in a rush, "She was smart...not just intelligent, but wise too. She saw everything from every angle, and she was able to make calculated decisions. And she was witty...funny...elegant and refined...beautiful...no, stunning...no, gorgeous…"

"She was very attractive," she smiled weakly, and his eyes widened before he rushed to amend himself.

"As are you! I didn't mean to offend…"

"I can't be offended by you thinking that your late wife was lovely. She was your wife…" she reasoned, and he searched her face, looking for some form of trickery. Finding none, he squeezed her hand and granted her a soft, appreciative smile.

"You are both the two most beautiful women I have ever seen, and ever will see," he continued, and her lips quirked up at his words. "As for how we met...I was visiting her home planet, Hanutaki.* She was a…" he trailed off, looking for the right words. "Shrine maiden, and when we landed, I was interested in learning more about their culture.

"I had heard about their Goddess, Tsulaka,* from the locals and was intrigued. Our timing was perfect - there was a festival coming later that week that people were preparing for. It was to honor and pay tribute to Tsulaka.

"I remember walking through the market...it was so full of life and excitement! There were spices everywhere, and I wish you could smell the different foods being cooked! I swear I started salivating on the spot as they wafted through the air…and there were men unloading these _giant_ barrels of drink in the square as women hung these great draping cloths everywhere in reds and oranges and yellows," he explained, reliving those moments and animatedly gesturing with his hands.

"Those are the colors of life," he elaborated when she tilted her head slightly to the side.

"Tsulaka is their Goddess of fertility and life and women. When a woman becomes pregnant, the family goes to Tsulaka's shrine and lights a candle and bathes her statue in nectar and milk from a krintak* for an easy pregnancy and birth.

"The festival is to thank her for looking after their women and for the many blessings she has bestowed upon their families. There was this golden statue in the center of the square that had been brought in from the shrine, and I wanted to get a closer look at it. It was this humanoid mix of a fawn woman...her upper body was exposed so you could see her breasts, and she wore this draped cloth around her hips. The craftsmanship was lovely...but at her base laying flowers down, I saw _her_.

"She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, dressed in these flowing red robes...her hair pulled back and away from her face so she could see as she worked, exposing the left side of her neck…" he trailed off in thought, and she smiled at the far away look on his face as he relived that fateful day eighty years ago.

"She didn't notice me at first, and that was fine with me. I was content to just watch her work, until she accidentally cut her finger with her knife. I couldn't help myself. I rushed forward and took her hand and began dressing her wound.

"She couldn't take her eyes off of me...and I was never able to take mine off of her again. We knew...right there in that moment, we knew who we were to each other…and three months later, she came with me to Inusekai."

He shook his head, picking up his glass of clear green liquid and drinking it. He enjoyed the food he had brought for them from Earth - the smattering of cheeses and fruits were delightful, and the pasta had been perfect. How he had discovered Italian food she'd never know, and she didn't care. It was wonderful. However, it was apparently a little hard on his stomach, and the green liquid helped to calm it.

"It sounds like love at first sight."

He tilted his head to the side, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"It's where you know that you love a person the second you see them...that you belong together. Like a soulmate," she explained.

"Would you...can you tell me what a soulmate is?" he asked bashfully, and she smiled as she leaned forward.

"Of course...they're your other half. The person you're destined to be with. You were born for them...and they were born for you."

She watched as his eyes widened, and he noticeably swallowed. Perhaps his mouth had gone dry? She couldn't imagine why, though.

"Tell me, Kagome...is that something your people believe in? Being destined to belong with one other person?"

"Not all of them," she blushed, his question feeling heavier than simple dinner conversation. "Some do."

"And what about you?" he pressed, his eyes burning with a fiery hope that she had never seen in him before.

"I…" she trailed off, the look in his eyes distracting her. He was anticipating her answer with bated breath, and it was making her blush. "Yes. I do believe in soulmates."

"Do you believe in love at first sight?" he continued, scanning her face with that same intensity.

"I like to think people can experience it, but I don't think I ever have," she shrugged, and he nodded his head and leaned away from her, his grip on her hands relaxing. "Do you believe in it?"

"Yes," he replied without hesitation.

"Because of your wife?"

"Because of many things," he replied softly, looking down at their hands. "How do you think you know you've met your soulmate?"

"Me? Or my people?" she asked, trying to clarify what he wanted.

"You - Kagome."

"I think...I think you just know. I think you're drawn to them like a magnet...and you feel at peace and whole. It will feel like you've finally found what you've been searching for your whole life, and everything will just be so easy and right…"

A warm smile spread across his face at her explanation and he nodded, leaning back in his chair.

"I like that...that's how it was with Kikyo."

"Kikyo?" she replied, the name sounding alarms in the back of her mind. She knew that name...how did she know that name…

"My wife," he replied, tilting his head to the side. "Kagome, are you alright? You look…" he trailed off, searching for the right word, "overwhelmed. It was our conversation, wasn't it? It was too much..." he grumbled.

"It was perfect," she rushed to reassure him, her mind still searching for why she knew that name. "It was honest and truthful, and I loved it. I feel like I know you better, even if we did discuss some difficult things."

"I see…" he muttered, his ears lowering before suddenly perking as an idea struck him. "Would dancing help lighten the mood?" he asked hopefully.

"Dancing?" she couldn't have heard that right.

"It's something I learned your people like to do when we went through your phone and your internet. Was I wrong?"

"No," she smiled warmly, appreciating the effort he was putting into making her happy. "Dancing would be lovely."

He nodded nervously and held out his hand as the song in the background came to an end and the next one began. She took it, standing up and allowing him to pull her to the center of the room and away from the table before placing his hands on her shoulders. He held her at an arm's length, and she mirrored his posture as he began swaying with her to the slow rhythm.

"Is this how your people dance?" she asked, the barest hint of a smile playing at her lips. She felt like she was at a dance in middle school again, where everyone was too awkward and shy to get closer.

"No...yours?"

"No," she grinned. "Here," she instructed, removing his hands and stepping closer to him as she adjusted his hold on her. She placed one on her hip, making her blush while she took the other as she rested her free hand on his shoulder. "Is this ok?" she asked, and he nodded as he glanced down with a swallow at the hand on her hip.

"This is very ok…" he trailed off, his eyes filled with disbelieving joy. "Now what?"

She pulled him backwards, teaching him an easy box step. He quickly caught on, pivoting her around the room as they danced together. She was pleasantly surprised by how quick a study he was, but she shouldn't have been - he absorbed English like a sponge, and he was already an athletic man. She shouldn't have been surprised at all at how naturally this came to him too.

Soon, he was even daring to try new moves with her by pushing her away only to spin her back closer into his arms. She let out a joyous giggle when he did that, which only encouraged him to do it again and again.

She was quickly laughing so hard that she was tripping over her feet and almost fell. She felt him pull her flush against his body to steady her, and she buried her face into his shoulder as her body continued to tremble and her laughter echoed merrily around them. She pulled away from him after a moment and walked to the wall, sliding down it to sit on the floor. She then happily patted the empty spot beside her, a lazy smile plastered across her face.

He didn't need to be told twice and immediately sat beside her, propping his arms up on his knees and letting his hands dangle loosely from their perch. She reached out and took his pinky with her own, and he scooted a bit closer to her and allowed her to bring his hand into her lap. She ran her index finger along the edge of his hand to his pinky, crossing it over the pads of his fingers when she reached the sharp tips.

His skin felt rough - calluses from a hard life covering his hand and marring his perfect flesh. She wondered if his skin would have still been covered in calluses if he had been allowed to choose his future?

He kept proving to her how deeply he cared for her...and the lengths he would go to in order to keep her safe. She ran her fingers from his palm and up the middle to the top of his finger where his claw was.

"Kagome?" he breathed, his voice holding the nervous question he was too afraid to ask. She lightly pressed the pad of her finger against the very tip of his claw, testing its sharpness. Her breath hitched in slight surprise when after a moment of pressure, she drew a bead of blood up from her tender flesh.

"Kagome," he swore, pulling her finger to his lips without thinking and lightly sucked it into his mouth. His tongue passed over it a few times before she could see the realization of his actions slowly spread across his face. His ears lowered to his head as he removed her finger, closing her fist and placing it back into her lap. "Sorry," he apologized. "I wasn't thinking."

"I don't mind," she breathed, causing him to raise his eyes back to her face.

"Why did you do it?"

"I don't know," she replied honestly. "I was curious, I think...I knew it would happen...and the fact that it hasn't before now only proves to me how gentle you really are."

She could see the way her words affected him as his face morphed into soft, tender appreciation and aw. She had moved him, soothed his heart, and made him feel things she hadn't seen in a while as his face changed and his thoughts shifted again.

"Kagome," he murmured, his eyes dropping to her lips in want before he shifted them away and turned his head to look straight ahead again. He leaned it backwards and his ears lowered as he closed his eyes and tilted his chin up. She knew exactly what he wanted, but since that first time, he had been too afraid to pursue his desires. She had to initiate...and initiate she would.

She twisted her body and reached up to cup his cheek, encouraging him to look at her as she leaned up and gently pressed her lips to his in a simple, sweet caress. She felt his body stiffen before completely melting, and he reached back out to her to mirror her actions. He tenderly placed a hand on her cheek, turning his body to face her as his lips moved against her own. Each gentle movement of his lips made shivers run up and down her spine, and Kagome couldn't get enough of it. She eventually parted from him with a sigh, and an unbidden, low whimper escaped his throat.

Inuyasha turned away from her in embarrassment, but she wasn't going to allow it. She wasn't going to let him run just because he was ashamed that he wanted to keep going when she needed a second to breathe. She wasn't stopping this...absolutely not.

She grabbed his shoulders and pressed him back against the glass windows they had been sitting against before moving to her knees and swinging a leg over his lap so she could perch herself in it.

He was surprised at first, but that look was quickly replaced by one of excitement before he reached up to her head to pull her lips back down to his. He was being more aggressive now...and she liked it. She liked feeling his need and desire for her as he hungrily worked his lips against her. She liked the way he wrapped one hand around her lower back and the other tangled in her hair at the nape of her neck. She liked the way his chest vibrated in satisfaction when she nibbled at his lower lip. She loved grasping his shirt to try and not lose her grip on reality.

Kagome felt the hand in her hair slide up to her ponytail and free it from its restraints, allowing her hair to topple down around them. They were hidden behind a wavy, black curtain now, existing in a world of just them - in a world where nothing else seemed to matter. She moaned lowly as his tongue pressed against her lips, and she parted her own and allowed him the entrance he was seeking. She could taste his hunger for her as his tongue battled against her own, igniting a fire in her.

Never before had she ever felt so desperately needed. Desired. Wanted. _Craved_. God...it was fucking _intoxicating_ and beyond empowering. She felt like a goddamn _Goddess _as she straddled him and he worshiped her at the altar of her lips.

He pulled her closer, trying to consume everything she was as her hands slammed against the glass window on either side of his head. She barely registered the cold sting of the glass slapping against her palms. He pulled away from her, gasping as he buried his face in the crook of her neck by her birthmark. She felt her own chest heave as she tried to get her breathing under control, but that failed miserably when she felt his lips press against her skin.

She gasped before a mewling sound poured from her lips as he attached himself in the crook of her neck, sucking and lapping at her birthmark. She felt sudden hot waves of heat wash over her as liquid lava pooled in her stomach, and she felt a throbbing pulse between her legs. She needed a release of some sort...something to help soothe the ache that was making her lose her mind, and she ground herself down into his lap. She felt his need press firmly into her and she groaned in satisfaction, rotating her hips again.

He pulled away from her with a sob, resting his forehead against her shoulder and panting heavily.

"We should go back," he breathed, and she laughed huskily.

"So we can finish this somewhere else?"

"No," he moaned as she rotated her hips again. "I don't want to finish this now. I want you to want it more than you do...because right now, it will mean more to me than it will to you," he confessed, and her breath caught in her throat at his soft words. She looked down into his eyes and saw the burning passion and want within them...and what startled her was the other emotion she couldn't dare name.

"Ok."

* * *

Inuyasha opened the door to _their quarters_, stepping aside to let her enter first. She thanked him and immediately kicked off her shoes and placed them back into the sozo box.

"That was a lovely evening, Inuyasha...thank you…"

"Thank you for letting me court you," he replied, coming to stand behind her and place his hands on her hips.

She felt him drop his head to her left shoulder and turn it inward to gently nuzzle the crook of her neck, and she felt an almost violent wave of heat flood her lower belly. She gasped at the overwhelming sensation and felt his fingers on her hips begin to tremble as a low whine rippled out from his throat. He continued to nuzzle that spot for a moment more before he placed a kiss there, causing her to grip the inside of the sozo box. She rolled her head to the side and a low growl vibrated out from his chest, pleased with her unintentional submission. She felt her knees become weak when he licked her neck before moving his lips up to her ear.

"I'd like it if you would let me court you again sometime…perhaps sometime soon?" he rumbled quietly, his lips ghosting over the shell of her ear. His hot breath sent shivers running up her spine, and she bit the inside of her lip as she tried to take a steadying breath to get herself back under control.

Fuck.

That had completely come out of left field, and she was not prepared for it at all.

"I'd like that too," she finally replied shakily, and she felt him smile against her skin and take a deep breath. It was like he was inhaling her scent before moving away from her.

"I should go and shower - do you mind going after?"

After earlier, she could only imagine why he needed to go first...and the thought left her mentally picturing it in detail. The hot water running down his body in rivulets...the soapy bubbles covering his skin as his hands passed over his torso...those same hands vigorously stroking a part of him she had felt firmly pressed against her backside earlier that same evening...

Oh yeah.

She needed him out of this room so she could calm down too.

"That's fine - I hope you enjoy your shower."

Was she horrible for meaning that in more than one way?

God...one incredibly intense make out session and she turns into this? She needed to get herself in check.

She sat down on the couch as he disappeared into the bathroom and tucked her feet next to herself as she began removing an earring from her lobe. Why had she reacted so strongly to him just now? She felt like a teenager with completely out of whack hormones. She had always said that he was very attractive...but that...that was something else.

It felt like he could set her whole body on fire just by kissing her neck. That had never happened to her before...not with any of her old boyfriends. What was it about him? Was it some weird alien thing? She knew he had enzymes in his saliva that helped with healing...maybe he also had a weird way of setting her body on fire?

Maybe she should talk to him...

_"Hey Inuyasha...can you make me want to pounce on you by doing a weird thing when you kiss my neck?"_

She groaned - saying it aloud sounded _so stupid_. She had been on such an emotional roller coaster over the last few days…of course she was going to react strongly to receiving any form of comfort or affection.

Kagome shook her head and removed the second earring, noticing that his tablet was still on the couch. He normally didn't leave that lying around, but he had been rather caught up in seeing her exit the bathroom earlier. She should put it away for him - he'd appreciate that.

Jeez.

One date and she was already doing little thankless things to make his life easier and make him happier? Get your shit together, Kagome!

She rolled her eyes and told the little voice in her head to shut up - putting away a tablet was _beyond_ minor.

She tossed her earrings into the sozo box as she opened the cabinet under it and placed the tablet inside where she had seen him keep it before.

There. Not a big deal.

She was about to close the doors when light glinting off of a gold box in the back corner absently caught her eye - the gold box from Noritaka. Her scalp tingled as she reached back to it, and her fingertips grazed the cold metal. She gingerly removed it from its hiding place, ignoring the goosebumps on her arms as she ran her fingers over the beautiful engravings. Kagome nervously flipped the lid open, ignoring the sudden twisting in her stomach as she examined the two objects within.

It was odd to her that Inuyasha didn't want her seeing them...and that he reacted so strangely to the two golden almonds inside. They looked harmless enough - almost like jewelry, really. What was even odder, however, was the feeling that she was left with in the pit of her stomach. They were making her feel like she had a case of deja vu...like she had seen them before but couldn't place the where or the why.

It was eerie.

She must have been feeling this way because she had seen them earlier that day and because of how Inuyasha was reacting.

Pleased with her mental assessment and explanation of the situation, she picked one up and flipped it over to look at the back. Somehow, she knew that it would be flat near the thick side with a gold band that wrapped around it, like a small ring...but she had never seen these before today in her life. She remembered how she had thought they looked like Inuyasha's fangs earlier, and her gut was telling her that they were to be worn that way.

Her heart was pounding in her throat as she tilted her head to the side in curiosity and straightened, moving her hand to the sozo box. She cleared out the contents with the push of a button before getting a small mirror from it, and she then walked over to the table and placed everything down.

This was stupid...trying out "golden fangs"...it was weird, right? Yet, she almost felt inexplicably drawn to them, and she was dying to know if she was right. Her heart began to pound even harder...she could feel each beat vibrating in her throat as she shakily raised a hand and plucked one out of the box. Kagome steeled her nerves and opened her mouth, biting the bullet and putting it on a canine tooth.

It fit almost perfectly.

She picked up the other one and put it on, surprised that it fit too.

A pulse seemed to shoot through her body, and she snapped her mouth shut as her vision blurred.

_She was no longer in their room, but in a completely different one. Modern, futuristic finishes and furniture could be seen throughout what looked like the bedroom, and flowers were in vases everywhere. Candles had been lit, and before her was Inuyasha. He reached out to her nervously but excitedly smiling as he drew her into his body. His hand came up to gently cup her cheek as he leaned down to tenderly kiss her. She felt an uncontrollable bubble of _love_ swell up in her chest, and she felt herself excitedly kissing him back, hungrily devouring him and everything he was offering her. _

_She felt her fingers moving to his military vest and slowly pushed the buttons through the holes, opening it. Her hands slid up his chest and to his shoulders, and she could feel his skin trembling under her touch. It was so warm and soft, yet firm. It was exquisite, and she delighted in the sensations of his flesh against her palms. _

_"Wife," he murmured, pulling away from her for a moment before leaning back down to capture her lips in another burning kiss that left her panting when they finally parted for air. She pushed his vest down his shoulders, and he released her to toss the garment off to the side. _

She jumped in pain and took the gold fangs out of her mouth, having bitten down so hard in surprise that she drew blood from the inside of her bottom lip.

She threw the fangs back into the box and backed away from it. What the _hell_ had just happened?

There was something not right about those things…

* * *

*literally just made up a word - I don't think it's Japanese this time.

A/N:

I can see what's happening (What?)  
And they don't have a clue (Who?)

Anyways...IT'S HERE. THE ROMANCE. AT LAST.

I hope this was worth the wait!

Thanks as always to Saucy for the amazing edits, and to everyone who has read and reviewed so far - YOU'RE AMAZING!

Until next time!


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